Date problem - linux and timezones

Question

I have a linux box where i have set the timezone for TZ=PST.
When i type date i get back the current date/time - good.
When i construct a date, saying java.util.Date dt = new Date().
i get the GMT date.
I have a few questions -
What sets the JVM date?
How would i properly construct a java.util.date with the timezone???
Cord

Answer 1

A date object does not "contain" a timezone. It is an instant in time.
A timezone only becomes important when you want to get a human-readable representation of the date. Try this:
import java.util.*;
import java.text.*;
Date now = new Date();  // creates a new date for the instant which is "now"
TimeZone gmt = TimeZone.getTimeZone("GMT");
TimeZone pst = TimeZone.getTimeZone("PST");
TimeZone.setDefault(gmt);
System.out.println(now);
TimeZone.setDefault(pst);
System.out.println(now);
DateFormat df = DateFormat.getDateTimeInstance(DateFormat.FULL, DateFormat.FULL);
df.setTimeZone(gmt);
System.out.println(df.format(now));
df.setTimeZone(pst);
System.out.println(df.format(now));You'll notice that the same date object produces a different "time" depending on whether you're formatting with gmt or pst.
You'll also notice that you can set the JVM's default timezone so that all future dates are printed with respect to that timezone, but if you're dealing with multiple timezones (and threads) then you would want to set the timezone on a case-by-case basis, by using a dateformatter with a timezone set on it.