Re: Removing "CMOS clock set to UTC" question

On Wed, 12 Jun 2024 at 11:23, Ed Maste <emaste@freebsd.org> wrote:
>
> Our installer asks (via tzsetup):
>
> > Is this machine's CMOS clock set to UTC?  If it is set to local time,
> > or you don't know, please choose NO here!
>
> I've heard many reports of new users being confused by this question
> when installing FreeBSD for the first time. I don't think it provides
> much value; it is a minor convenience for dual-booting with Windows
> but imposes a cost on everyone installing FreeBSD. It is trivial to
> configure the system to use local time in the system's real-time clock
> by creating /etc/wall_cmos_clock. Other operating systems do not ask,
> they just default to local time (Windows) or UTC (everyone else).
>
> I've proposed removing the question from bsdinstall in
> https://reviews.freebsd.org/D45569.

Perhaps the confusion arises from the implied default being "NO"
instead of a "YES"?

In a way, the proposed patch actually both changes the default and
removes the question.  Which may end up being more confusing unless
expressly advertised as such.

If the intention is to simply change the implied default, maybe that's
exactly what should be done instead?  E.g., move the "don't know"
category into a "YES" suggestion.

C.