Are clocks on websites ugly and unuseful?

[Snegolle]

There are a lot of websites that have clocks on their pages. I dont know what regular users and webdeigners think about it, every has it pros and contras. I can see 2 solutions.

+Server side clock that are very static, imagine you have entered the site at 15.37 and stay there 5 minutes, at 15.42 clock will still show 15.37....

+JavaScript and Flash clock, thay are dynamic but show users time, thats ok when user has right time, but when they have wrong.... I jhave the script that shows the time but it doesnt work with Opera and Netscape

So what do you think about it?

[iTec]

my computer has a clock in the bottom right hand corner, so what is the purpose of the clock on your website?

[Adam P.]

I don't think they're particularly ugly, but most of the time they are useless. But, there could always be a situation where a clock is necessary for something, and in that case I think it's fine.

[Impulse]

Like iTec said - I already have a clock on my computer, and I have one on my wrist - If it makes your site look prettier use it, but it serves no immediate function unless someone has their time disabled.

[templates911]

The Time and Date Scripts are useful. The clocks aren't.

[Ian Glass]

I find them useful, personally. :-)

I like having the date in the upper right or wherever--it makes the content seem fresher (and I constantly forget the day :-p). When I go on a dynamic page like these forums or a to get a stock-quote, I might want to know when it was generated (I wish I didn't have to scroll all the way down on SPF). A clock or preferably countdown script might be great to have so I know how long I have until a contest or auction closes. Yada yada yada...

If you're just using them to "pretty up your page" or to fill space, though, they're utterly useless and annoying. Make sure the clock (or any other element, for that matter) on a page support it's overall goals. :-)

~~Ian

P.S. Don't set it based on my computer's time, because it's horribly wrong (i.e. it says 4:54PM now, but it's really the time this post says, EST [GMT -5])! :-p

[Toxical]

If i want to know the date i look in my bottom right corner as well, as there are the time & the date

I see no point in having clocks on a website at all.

The only situation where i would accept it, is, when you build a very particular interface, for example the tower of a church or something like that, where a clock is a part of the motive/subject you wanna imitate...

[luke-innovative]

+Server side clock that are very static, imagine you have entered the site at 15.37 and stay there 5 minutes, at 15.42 clock will still show 15.37....

+JavaScript and Flash clock, thay are dynamic but show users time, thats ok when user has right time, but when they have wrong.... I jhave the script that shows the time but it doesnt work with Opera and Netscape

I'm probably the only one that thinks so, but I prefer static clocks to Javascript ones. I'm one of those people that can't stand seeing annoying animation out of the corner of my eye though

I like having the date in the upper right or wherever--it makes the content seem fresher (and I constantly forget the day :-p).

I completely agree. Ahh, ignorance is bliss

[stuart_001]

Although Flavor Flav keeps telling me I need to know what time it is... I think that they're unnecessary, because:

• we need to stop worrying about time, and just r-e-l-aaaaaaaxxxxx
• as other people have stated, most of us either wear a watch, have a clock nearby, or have the time on our computer (or, in fact, all three!

Stuart

[Manores]

Originally posted by iTec
my computer has a clock in the bottom right hand corner, so what is the purpose of the clock on your website?

[bill_jpn]

The JavaScript clocks that count the seconds always make me feel hurried, as if I'm being timed on the site.

Server-side is fine if there's a reason for it. One of my sites is an events calendar in Japan, and if the event is in progress it gets labled "in progress". If you visit from the USA, you may be surprised to see "in progress" for an event that is half a day in the future...so the clock on the site tells you what time it is in Japan.

The SitePoint forum clock is wrong, BTW... one of the problems in trying to server-side someone's remote time zone. I chose the Tokyo time zone and it doesn't take into account that Japan has no Daylight Savings Time. Pretty minor point.

[mlsbraves]

I really don't like the ideas of clocks on sites either. If I want the time I'll look in the corner of my computer or on one of the clocks in my house. Unless there is a point or job for the clock, I don't personally see a reason for a site to have one.

Originally posted by bill_jpn

SitePoint forum clock is wrong, BTW... one of the problems in trying to server-side someone's remote time zone. I chose the Tokyo time zone and it doesn't take into account that Japan has no Daylight Savings Time. Pretty minor point.

This is probably just a small bug in the vBulletin software. Sitepoint might want to check for updates or maybe someone needs to submit a bug report.

[noddy]

If they are text clock or client side clocks they are ok because they will be correct for the clients location.

Site point has server side times because of where I am in Perth Western Australia the site point time never matches where I am but I dont mind its good to know when something was done posted or just as a extra function to attracked a vistors attension

[bill_jpn]

Originally posted by mlsbraves
This is probably just a small bug in the vBulletin software. Sitepoint might want to check for updates or maybe someone needs to submit a bug report.

No, it's just an omission. I'm pretty sure the software splits the world into 24 zones, and shows major cities as examples. It doesn't ask you where you are located and so it doens't take your local oddities into account. (For example, Japan has no daylight savings. Other countries with DST do not all change on the same day, at the same time. Some time zones are 1/2 hour different rather than a full hour different from their neighbor. Etc.

[Drinky]

Originally posted by noddy
...Site point has server side times because of where I am in Perth Western Australia the site point time never matches where I am...

Set your timeZone in your profile and then it will, give or take a minute or two (seems to ba about 10 minutes slow).

Bring on support for daylight savings so that i don't have to change my profle twice a year