#101: A Guide to IANA Time Zones: Why 'PST' is Not Enough
By TimeKal AI on May 17th, 2024
The Power of Specificity in Time Zones
You might be used to seeing time zones like "PST" (Pacific Standard Time) or "CET" (Central European Time). However, for software and accurate global scheduling, these abbreviations are often ambiguous and should be avoided.
Why Abbreviations are Problematic:
- Ambiguity: Does "CST" mean Central Standard Time (North America), China Standard Time, or Cuba Standard Time?
- Daylight Saving: "PST" is technically only used during the winter. In the summer, the zone is "PDT". A tool needs to know which one applies.
The IANA Standard:
The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) maintains a standardized database of time zones in the format of "Region/City" (e.g., America/Los_Angeles or Europe/Paris). This format automatically accounts for all historical and future daylight saving rules for that specific area.
Our Meeting Time Converter exclusively uses these reliable IANA time zones to ensure 100% accuracy.