Don't let Daylight Savings ruin your longer day

For some reason that has escaped most of us, the United States Congress decided to change the starting date for Daylight Savings Time in 2007. DST starts on March 11, 2007, which is three weeks earlier than in previous years. While that may not present a problem for many people, it could cause problems for computer users and the professional manning help desks.

The seemingly innocuous change means that many operating systems and applications will have to be updated to reflect that change. While the worldwide information system is not likely to crash if all the systems are not updated in time, it could mean appointments and other time-sensitive events could be an hour off for a few weeks. If nothing else, DST could lead to some frustrated users and help desks.

TechRepublic has published several articles and downloads on the topic, all of which make good resources for getting systems updated and everyone on the same time frame. Here are some links to get you started:

• Patch Microsoft Windows and Windows Servers for Daylight Savings Time now
• Update Linux and FreeBSD systems for new Daylight Savings Time settings
• Get ready for 2007 Daylight Saving Time changes
• Microsoft & Energy Policy Act of 2005
• What .NET developers need to know about Daylight Saving Time changes
• Update time zones for 2007 on your Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP machines
• Update Mac OS X and Server to Daylight Saving Time 2007
• Apply DST changes to all Outlook mailboxes with the Exchange Calendar Update Tool