'npm start' fails on 'Chinese datetime string error fix' in tasks/util/common.js:49

[krassowski]

Context: I tried to start working on #2286, following Contribution guideline. I have only minimal experience with npm/node but I am sure that my installation meets the recommended "node.js v6.x" version.

Related to #1630.

npm start (and specifically npm run start-test_dashboard) fails.
In short the regular expression in the following line:

date.toString().match(/\(([A-Za-z\s\u4E00-\u9FCC].*)\)/)[1]  // fix Chinese datetime string error. #1630

fails on 2018-01-27T15:15:48.956Z which is represented as Sat Jan 27 2018 14:15:48 GMT-0100 (-01) and after matching returns null.

krassowski:~/projects/plotly.js$ npm start

> plotly.js@1.33.1 start /home/krassowski/projects/plotly.js
> npm run start-test_dashboard


> plotly.js@1.33.1 start-test_dashboard /home/krassowski/projects/plotly.js
> node devtools/test_dashboard/server.js

*** Building the first bundle, this should take ~10 seconds ***

/home/krassowski/projects/plotly.js/tasks/util/common.js:48
        date.toString().match(/\(([A-Za-z\s\u4E00-\u9FCC].*)\)/)[1]  // fix Chinese datetime string error. #1630
                                                                ^

TypeError: Cannot read property '1' of null
    at Object.exports.formatTime (/home/krassowski/projects/plotly.js/tasks/util/common.js:48:65)
    at Browserify.<anonymous> (/home/krassowski/projects/plotly.js/tasks/util/watchified_bundle.js:78:36)
    at emitOne (events.js:96:13)
    at Browserify.emit (events.js:188:7)
    at DestroyableTransform.end [as _flush]

[....]

npm ERR! Linux 4.13.0-25-generic
npm ERR! argv "/usr/bin/node" "/usr/bin/npm" "start"
npm ERR! node v6.11.4
npm ERR! npm  v3.5.2
npm ERR! code ELIFECYCLE
npm ERR! plotly.js@1.33.1 start: `npm run start-test_dashboard`
npm ERR! Exit status 1

[alexcjohnson]

ugh, thanks @krassowski - I'd be in favor of just dropping timezone. @etpinard OK?