Entering and Modifying Dates
 

I have a problem with date entry, but first of all, another kudo to the programmers--I love the way the contexts autocomplete. It's very elegant (for example, the "MacAnywhere" and "MacOnline" contexts can be distinguished by two letters, ma or mo).
The dates don't seem quite as smart to me for the following entry: when I enter two numbers, separated by a decimal or slash, I expect it to be parsed as a month and day, not a month and year. So, entering 7.29 today (on July 26th) would mean to me July 29th. Instead, it goes in as July 1, 2029. If I'm in the minority, I'll be quiet. If not, now's the time to change it.
When in the calendar entry module, if you get some crazy value (like the 7/1/29), how do you get back to today? By analogy to iCal, the center diamond should reset the entry calendar to today's date. Instead, it deletes the date from the inspector, leaving the calendar at the old month. Also, in what seems like a bug (this has gone to feedback) it's not deleted from the column, because hitting return leaves the old date.
These are minor annoyances in what is proving to be a very powerful and well-designed tool.

Also, the date format interpreter should take into account where the user is, so that in Europe 12.8.07 is correctly parsed as August 12th 2007 rather than the bizarre American interpretation (8th December 2007). ;)

Neither convention is bizarre - it's merely a difference in language and proper grammar conventions. Correct French, Spanish, Italian, and German grammar all phrase dates as "the 12th of August", and it's reflected in how they jot down dates. While the phrase translates, it's seen as overly formal for everyday use in the US, and replaced with "August 12th", which is in turn reflected in how we jot down dates.
/soapbox

;)

[QUOTE=al_f]Also, the date format interpreter should take into account where the user is, so that in Europe 12.8.07 is correctly parsed as August 12th 2007 rather than the bizarre American interpretation (8th December 2007). ;)[/QUOTE]

Two nations divided by a common language. :)

[QUOTE=GeekLady]it's seen as overly formal for everyday use in the US, and replaced with "August 12th", which is in turn reflected in how we jot down dates.[/QUOTE]

You're correct. However [OT trivia alert], it is technically incorrect to refer to a date as "August 12th" or "May 1st." The correct American English form is "August 12" or "May 1." (The numeral+letters form, i.e., "12th" or "1st," technically is correct only when appearing *before* the name of a month.) :-)

However, since the form "August 12th" is so widely (mis)used, this little-known rule is now considered by many grammarians as a Lost Cause. :-)

[end OT trivia]

Let the grammar nerd-off begin!

[QUOTE=soundsgoodtome]You're correct. However [OT trivia alert], it is technically incorrect to refer to a date as "August 12th" or "May 1st." The correct American English form is "August 12" or "May 1." (The numeral+letters form, i.e., "12th" or "1st," technically is correct only when appearing *before* the name of a month.) :-)

However, since the form "August 12th" is so widely (mis)used, this little-known rule is now considered by many grammarians as a Lost Cause. :-)

[end OT trivia][/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=GeekLady]Let the grammar nerd-off begin![/QUOTE]

Hehe.... :-)

As fun as this is (and I mean that seriously, not sarcastically), my original question can be boiled down to this: today, should 8/8 be parsed as August 8, 2007, or as August 1, 2008? Right now, it does the latter.
I favor the behavior (behaviour?) found in OmniOutliner, in which the two are taken as month and day. Naturally, there has to be an algorithm to guess the year. Given the nature of the tasks here, it should probably always look forward (that is, the date would be the one within the next 365 days). I am sure there's room for argument, however.
I would also agree that the program should look at localization and treat 9/7 as Sept. 7 in the US, and July 9 in Europe.
Of course, we could all begin advocating for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calendar_reform">calendar reform...</a>