Why the pretentious zero? - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

smoore · 03-29-2008, 08:50 PM

What's the point of the zero in 01:24 PM? I guess this is just a pet peeve of mine. I think in 24hr time. When I see 01[anything] my brain automatically assumes it's 01XX. If you're going to use AM/PM what's the point of showing the zero? I can't think of a single good reason, even among gamers. 3/4 of the hours have a single digit when you're using AM/PM so why tack that annoying zero on there?

Oh yeah, tech support issue: Please let me view the times in 24hr. AM/PM is silly.

Thanks.

Nimetic · 03-30-2008, 12:06 AM

Dunno. Why the colon?

For myself, I find it easier to read. I like all my dates to have the same size. But that's just a personal thing.

Actually... I wonder if maybe the zero dates back to the old seven segment LED displays (and incandescent public versions showing time). In those cases a blank digit is still visible and looks like a failure.

03-29-2008, 08:50 PM	#1 (permalink)
smoore Crazy Location: West of Denver	Why the pretentious zero? What's the point of the zero in 01:24 PM? I guess this is just a pet peeve of mine. I think in 24hr time. When I see 01[anything] my brain automatically assumes it's 01XX. If you're going to use AM/PM what's the point of showing the zero? I can't think of a single good reason, even among gamers. 3/4 of the hours have a single digit when you're using AM/PM so why tack that annoying zero on there? Oh yeah, tech support issue: Please let me view the times in 24hr. AM/PM is silly. Thanks. __________________ smoore

03-30-2008, 12:06 AM	#2 (permalink)
Nimetic Junkie Location: Melbourne, Australia	Dunno. Why the colon? For myself, I find it easier to read. I like all my dates to have the same size. But that's just a personal thing. Actually... I wonder if maybe the zero dates back to the old seven segment LED displays (and incandescent public versions showing time). In those cases a blank digit is still visible and looks like a failure.