Re: [Tails-ux] RFC: new time sync'ing user story

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Author: sajolida
Date:  
To: Tails user experience & user interface design, The Tails public development discussion list, anonym
Subject: Re: [Tails-ux] RFC: new time sync'ing user story
intrigeri:
> [Please keep anonym Cc'd; also Cc'ing tails-dev@ once so that people
> there learn about this discussion -- but please drop tails-dev@ from
> the list of recipients when replying. Thanks!]
>
> anonym and I (thanks to an initial suggestion by DrWhax) came up with
> a draft proposal to change how we set the system time in Tails, and
> how this integrates with the Tor bootstrap process.
>
> We would like to get some initial feedback regarding the proposed user
> story. Note that it is related to how timezone selection will be
> presented in the new, revamped Greeter.
>
> => see the "Ask the user what time it is" section on
> https://tails.boum.org/blueprint/robust_time_syncing/


I like it.

> Don't hesitate asking any question that's not answered in that
> blueprint yet, no matter how "stupid" you might think it is: quite
> often, this very kind of questions helps looking at the problem at
> hand from a different angle, and find better solutions :)
>
> If anyone has comments or questions on the technical/implementation
> aspects, please do so in separate messages, sent to tails-dev@ only.


Maybe I'll mix up too much UI and implementation in my questions but
here they are:

- The blueprint mentions that "certain OSes set's the BIOS clock to the
local time". How would this interfere with the current proposal?
- Shouldn't we ask for the timezone first and then the time, or the
two things at the same time. Maybe that's what is already meant by the
"and" in "And the corresponding UI lets me choose my preferred timezone".
- Would people on Windows be asked for this every time or otherwise
have a wrong clock on Windows?

- How wrong the clock has to be to trigger that stuff? I read from my
current consensus:
- "valid-after 2015-05-18 11:00:00"
- "valid-until 2015-05-18 14:00:00"
If all consensus are valid during 3 hours, then having the clock off
by 10 minutes would trigger that stuff 1 out of 18 times (very roughly).
That sounds reasonable.

- How precise the clock must be set by the user to work? and to get
hidden services to work (that's advertised as the feature that needs the
most precise clock)? Would ±5 minutes work? If my computer's clock is
off, then I might have to fallback on a physical clock (let's say my
watch) which can often be ±5 minutes off.

PS: During the last LHF, someone asked for tasks in private and I
pointed her or him to Tails Clock. That was "farh" or something like
this. If I get to see this person again, I'll ask for updates.

--
sajolida