Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone?

From	Sage <sage@mail.invalid>
Newsgroups	alt.os.linux, alt.windows7.general, comp.sys.mac.system
Subject	Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone?
Date	2015-01-27 17:39 +0000
Organization	solani.org
Message-ID	<ma8ifu$52b$2@solani.org> (permalink)
References	<ma74pu$ste$1@solani.org> <ma80e4$u6g$1@gonzo.reversiblemaps.ath.cx>

Cross-posted to 3 groups.

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Jasen Betts wrote, on Tue, 27 Jan 2015 12:31:00 +0000:

> But it's not necessary. you don't have to change the 
> zone of the whole computer.

This is an excellent suggestion!

Since the entire problem set revolves only around the browser
fingerprinting, I like the concept of only changing the time
zone for the browser, and not that of the system.

The list of available time zones (TZ) seems to be this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tz_database_time_zones

Based on your suggestions, the procedure would be to *keep* the system 
time zone, but to just call a *common* time zone along with the browser
initiation command.

While the suggestions show that most *people* live in UTC + 8 time zone
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UTC%2B08:00

That time zone is not necessarily the most *computers*, nor even the
most computers at that specific time of day (which is really what you
want in order to fit in with the crowd).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_zone

Given my TZ is currently PST as evidenced by Linux/Mac:
$ date +%Z # timezone name
= PST

Windows 7:
C:\> tzutil.exe /g (current time zone)
= Pacific Standard Time
C:\> tzutil.exe /l (all available time zones)
C:\? tzutil.exe /s time_zone_ID (change time zone)

Going to Panopticlick.eff.org with the Firefox command reveals:
$ firefox -url panopticlick.eff.org &
= Time Zone 7.28 bits of identifying information 
= 1 in 154.91 browsers have this value
= value 480

A side question is what does a "value" of "480" actually mean?
The 480 must be PST, but why didn't they just say "PST" instead?

Anyway, now changing that command as suggested to:
$ firefox -url panopticlick.eff.org TZ=UTC &
It fails every single time.

Looking at Firefox options (firefox -h), TZ doesn't seem to
be a valid option, so, I'm googling to figure out *how* to 
set the time zone in Firefox alone, and not in the OS itself.

Thread

What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Sage <sage@mail.invalid> - 2015-01-27 04:39 +0000
  Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? nospam <nospam@nospam.invalid> - 2015-01-27 00:11 -0500
    Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Godzilla <godzilla@lizardboss.invalid> - 2015-01-27 05:18 +0000
    Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Warren Oates <warren.oates@gmail.com> - 2015-01-27 16:32 -0500
      Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Warren Oates <warren.oates@gmail.com> - 2015-01-27 16:39 -0500
      Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Sage <sage@mail.invalid> - 2015-01-27 22:20 +0000
        Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Warren Oates <warren.oates@gmail.com> - 2015-01-27 18:55 -0500
          Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Sage <sage@mail.invalid> - 2015-01-28 01:54 +0000
  Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Barry Margolin <barmar@alum.mit.edu> - 2015-01-27 02:27 -0500
    Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? nospam <nospam@nospam.invalid> - 2015-01-27 03:51 -0500
      Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? victor davis <vic@this.is.not.real.com> - 2015-01-27 10:44 +0000
        Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Barry Margolin <barmar@alum.mit.edu> - 2015-01-27 11:14 -0500
          Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? John Hasler <jhasler@newsguy.com> - 2015-01-27 10:30 -0600
            Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Sage <sage@mail.invalid> - 2015-01-27 17:51 +0000
            Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Barry Margolin <barmar@alum.mit.edu> - 2015-01-27 12:54 -0500
    Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Your Name <YourName@YourISP.com> - 2015-01-28 09:34 +1300
      Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Sage <sage@mail.invalid> - 2015-01-27 22:21 +0000
        Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? John Hasler <jhasler@newsguy.com> - 2015-01-27 16:25 -0600
          Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Sage <sage@mail.invalid> - 2015-01-28 03:17 +0000
            Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Lewis <g.kreme@gmail.com.dontsendmecopies> - 2015-01-28 22:36 +0000
  Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? ". . .winston" <winstonmvp@gmail.com> - 2015-01-27 03:56 -0500
    Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Sage <sage@mail.invalid> - 2015-01-27 10:45 +0000
      Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Peter Köhlmann <peter-koehlmann@t-online.de> - 2015-01-27 12:28 +0100
  Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Siri Crews <chine.bleu@yahoo.com> - 2015-01-27 01:29 -0800
    Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Huge <Huge@nowhere.much.invalid> - 2015-01-27 10:05 +0000
      Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Eef Hartman <E.J.M.Hartman@gmail.com> - 2015-01-27 11:50 +0000
  Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Jasen Betts <jasen@xnet.co.nz> - 2015-01-27 12:31 +0000
    Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Sage <sage@mail.invalid> - 2015-01-27 17:39 +0000
      Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? John Hasler <jhasler@newsguy.com> - 2015-01-27 11:46 -0600
        Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Sage <sage@mail.invalid> - 2015-01-27 17:57 +0000
          Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Eef Hartman <E.J.M.Hartman@gmail.com> - 2015-01-27 19:20 +0000
            Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Sage <sage@mail.invalid> - 2015-01-27 22:24 +0000
              Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Sage <sage@mail.invalid> - 2015-01-28 03:26 +0000
          Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Lew Pitcher <lew.pitcher@digitalfreehold.ca> - 2015-01-27 15:18 -0500
          Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Jasen Betts <jasen@xnet.co.nz> - 2015-01-28 08:20 +0000
  Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Warren Oates <warren.oates@gmail.com> - 2015-01-27 08:58 -0500
    Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Char Jackson <none@none.invalid> - 2015-01-27 10:00 -0600
      Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Barry Margolin <barmar@alum.mit.edu> - 2015-01-27 11:18 -0500
        Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Wolf K <wolfmac@sympatico.ca> - 2015-01-27 11:23 -0500
        Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Char Jackson <none@none.invalid> - 2015-01-27 11:36 -0600
    Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Doc O'Leary  <droleary@2usenet2014.subsume.com> - 2015-01-27 16:32 +0000
      Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Sage <sage@mail.invalid> - 2015-01-27 18:00 +0000
        Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? FPP <fredp151@gmail.com> - 2015-01-27 16:45 -0500
          Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Sage <sage@mail.invalid> - 2015-01-27 22:30 +0000
        Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Doc O'Leary  <droleary@2usenet2014.subsume.com> - 2015-01-28 03:53 +0000
          Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Sage <sage@mail.invalid> - 2015-01-28 04:47 +0000
  Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Jolly Roger <jollyroger@pobox.com> - 2015-01-27 14:06 +0000
    Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Peter Köhlmann <peter-koehlmann@t-online.de> - 2015-01-27 15:10 +0100
      Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Jolly Roger <jollyroger@pobox.com> - 2015-01-27 14:24 +0000
        Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? "Gene E. Bloch" <not-me@other.invalid> - 2015-01-27 17:59 -0800
          Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Jolly Roger <jollyroger@pobox.com> - 2015-01-28 02:14 +0000
          Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Sage <sage@mail.invalid> - 2015-01-28 03:52 +0000
            Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? "Gene E. Bloch" <not-me@other.invalid> - 2015-01-28 15:53 -0800
      Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Sage <sage@mail.invalid> - 2015-01-27 18:15 +0000
        Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? FPP <fredp151@gmail.com> - 2015-01-27 16:50 -0500
          Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Lewis <g.kreme@gmail.com.dontsendmecopies> - 2015-01-28 00:58 +0000
          Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Sage <sage@mail.invalid> - 2015-01-28 03:38 +0000
            Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Jasen Betts <jasen@xnet.co.nz> - 2015-01-28 08:49 +0000
              Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Sage <sage@mail.invalid> - 2015-01-28 10:06 +0000
              Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? "Gene E. Bloch" <not-me@other.invalid> - 2015-01-28 15:59 -0800
        Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Peter Köhlmann <peter-koehlmann@t-online.de> - 2015-01-28 00:09 +0100
          Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Sage <sage@mail.invalid> - 2015-01-28 03:48 +0000
  Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? John Hasler <jhasler@newsguy.com> - 2015-01-27 08:32 -0600
    Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Sage <sage@mail.invalid> - 2015-01-27 18:04 +0000
  Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Gordon <gordonlr@swbell.net> - 2015-01-27 14:40 -0600
    Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Wildman <best_lay@yahoo.com> - 2015-01-27 14:42 -0600
      Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Xyzzy the Magicat <usenetcats.xyzzyx@EATspamgourmet.com> - 2015-01-27 17:45 -0800
        Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Wildman <best_lay@yahoo.com> - 2015-01-27 22:09 -0600
        Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Sage <sage@mail.invalid> - 2015-01-28 04:53 +0000
        Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Warren Oates <warren.oates@gmail.com> - 2015-01-28 08:52 -0500
          Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Gordon <gordonlr@swbell.net> - 2015-01-28 08:07 -0600
            Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Warren Oates <warren.oates@gmail.com> - 2015-01-28 09:16 -0500
              Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Lewis <g.kreme@gmail.com.dontsendmecopies> - 2015-01-28 22:44 +0000
      Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Sage <sage@mail.invalid> - 2015-01-28 03:56 +0000
    Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? John Hasler <jhasler@newsguy.com> - 2015-01-27 14:49 -0600
  Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? JJ <jj4public@vfemail.net> - 2015-01-28 05:24 +0700
    Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Sage <sage@mail.invalid> - 2015-01-28 04:59 +0000
  Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Lewis <g.kreme@gmail.com.dontsendmecopies> - 2015-01-28 00:53 +0000
    Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Sage <sage@mail.invalid> - 2015-01-28 05:06 +0000
    Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Sage <sage@mail.invalid> - 2015-01-28 05:12 +0000
      Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Peter Köhlmann <peter-koehlmann@t-online.de> - 2015-01-28 11:35 +0100
        Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Sage <sage@mail.invalid> - 2015-01-28 14:20 +0000
      Re: What's the negative effect of changing the Time Zone? Lewis <g.kreme@gmail.com.dontsendmecopies> - 2015-01-28 22:43 +0000

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