[time-nuts] When did computer clocks get so bad?

[Alec Teal]

Hi there,

I have a question and I cannot think of anyone better to ask, for a 
project we need to time some things which are connected to a computer, 
using NTP and later using a GPS over bluetooth serial ports, we have 
discovered that computer clocks are terrible

If you remove a linear drift (for example assuming it ticks at 1.00026 
seconds per second) it gets less terrible, and Linux can do this but it 
is clear that the computer clock doesn't expose this coefficient to the 
OS to let it compensate, it must be found (eg through NTP) - any ideas why?


But more concretely, my watch is actually pretty good, it's off by < 3 
seconds and hasn't been set probably this year (I don't tend to bother 
with DST stuff, not for any reason just never get round to it) - when I 
was growing up and even now wall-clocks are not so terrible that I have 
to fix them (or NTP does with computers) very routinely.

My theory is that super cheap crappy quartz clocks are now used in 
things which can be reasonably expected to be online most of the time, 
and thus use NTP - my watch cannot (and probably has temperature 
correction too? Given the varied temps it is exposed to) any truth to this?

This is a very open ended question I understand, but if clocks were as 
terrible as I've found every computer and thing I've checked recently, 
why don't I remember setting wall clocks easily once a week?


Alec