Bug #24895 MySQL Timestamp datatype is not a timestamp
Submitted: 7 Dec 2006 20:26 Modified: 7 Dec 2006 20:49
Reporter: Fuck You Email Updates:
Status: Not a Bug Impact on me:
None 
Category:MySQL Server: Data Types Severity:S2 (Serious)
Version:All OS:Any (All)
Assigned to: CPU Architecture:Any
Tags: datatypes, timestamp, UNIX Compatability

[7 Dec 2006 20:26] Fuck You 
Description:
The MySQL datatype isn't a timestamp.  A timestamp should be a second count from the beginning of the unix epoch.  This allows for linear math application of that data in geometric equations.  The current "Timestamp" datatype is simply a renamed date datatype.  Advertising the existence of a timestamp datatype when non exists in a commercial product could also be seen as fraud.

How to repeat:
Attempt to insert a unix timestamp into a column of datatype timestamp.  

Suggested fix:
Provide a valid timestamp integer... or remove the datatype all together and stop making up datatypes that don't exist.
[7 Dec 2006 20:49] Sveta Smirnova 
Thank you for taking the time to write to us, but this is not a bug. Please double-check the documentation available at http://dev.mysql.com/doc/ and the instructions on
how to report a bug at http://bugs.mysql.com/how-to-report.php

Please read carefully our manual at http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.0/en/datetime.html and http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.0/en/date-and-time-functions.html
[24 Apr 2008 16:15] Matt Cavaness 
I agree the name is misleading, but seriously, just use the integer type.