php mysql UTC timestamp
<p>I'm in the early stage of building a mysql table that will hold data from two timezones. Both my machine and the server are in the America/Los_Angeles time zone. The timezone table is not loaded in the mysql server, but elsewhere on this site, I've read this is not necessary as long as php handles the queries - php will write the UTC offset to mysql. Mysql datatype is TIMESTAMP. Sample data has been inserted with a php script that includes the following statement:</p>

<pre><code>        if($company == 'HOS_CIN' or $company == 'HOS_FER') {
        date_default_timezone_set("America/New_York");
    }
</code></pre>

<p>Then two php scripts were used to display the data in a browser. One included the above statement and one did not. The one with the statement displayed the time as noon EST, and the one without displayed the time as noon PST. If mysql had stored the UTC offset, shouldn't there have been a three-hour difference in the times displayed?</p>

<p>Php version 5.3.3, mysql version 5.0.95</p>