diff --git a/.gitmodules b/.gitmodules
index e96848c3..d63fd70b 100644
--- a/.gitmodules
+++ b/.gitmodules
@@ -22,6 +22,3 @@
 [submodule "extern/Nuked-OPL3"]
 	path = extern/Nuked-OPL3
 	url = https://github.com/nukeykt/Nuked-OPL3.git
-[submodule "extern/date"]
-	path = extern/date
-	url = https://github.com/HowardHinnant/date
diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 2989a36f..d3b98fc6 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -42,7 +42,6 @@ option(SYSTEM_LIBSNDFILE "Use a system-installed version of libsndfile instead o
 option(SYSTEM_RTMIDI "Use a system-installed version of RtMidi instead of the vendored one" OFF)
 option(SYSTEM_ZLIB "Use a system-installed version of zlib instead of the vendored one" OFF)
 option(SYSTEM_SDL2 "Use a system-installed version of SDL2 instead of the vendored one" ${SYSTEM_SDL2_DEFAULT})
-option(SYSTEM_DATE "Use a system-installed version of Date instead of the vendored one" OFF)
 option(WARNINGS_ARE_ERRORS "Whether warnings in furnace's C++ code should be treated as errors" OFF)
 
 set(DEPENDENCIES_INCLUDE_DIRS "")
@@ -127,25 +126,6 @@ if (USE_RTMIDI)
   endif()
 endif()
 
-if (SYSTEM_DATE)
-  find_package(PkgConfig REQUIRED)
-  pkg_check_modules(HHDATE REQUIRED date)
-  list(APPEND DEPENDENCIES_INCLUDE_DIRS ${HHDATE_INCLUDE_DIRS})
-  list(APPEND DEPENDENCIES_COMPILE_OPTIONS ${HHDATE_CFLAGS_OTHER})
-  list(APPEND DEPENDENCIES_LIBRARIES ${HHDATE_LIBRARIES})
-  list(APPEND DEPENDENCIES_LIBRARY_DIRS ${HHDATE_LIBRARY_DIRS})
-  list(APPEND DEPENDENCIES_LINK_OPTIONS ${HHDATE_LDFLAGS_OTHER})
-  list(APPEND DEPENDENCIES_LEGACY_LDFLAGS ${HHDATE_LDFLAGS})
-  message(STATUS "Using system-installed Date")
-else()
-  set(BUILD_TZ_LIB ON CACHE BOOL "build/install of TZ library" FORCE)
-  set(USE_SYSTEM_TZ_DB ON CACHE BOOL "Fix the build already" FORCE)
-  add_subdirectory(extern/date EXCLUDE_FROM_ALL)
-  list(APPEND DEPENDENCIES_INCLUDE_DIRS extern/date/include)
-  list(APPEND DEPENDENCIES_LIBRARIES date date-tz)
-  message(STATUS "Using vendored Date")
-endif()
-
 if (SYSTEM_ZLIB)
   find_package(PkgConfig REQUIRED)
   pkg_check_modules(ZLIB REQUIRED zlib)
diff --git a/extern/date b/extern/date
deleted file mode 160000
index 9ea5654c..00000000
--- a/extern/date
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-Subproject commit 9ea5654c1206e19245dc21d8a2c433e090c8c3f5
diff --git a/src/gui/log.cpp b/src/gui/log.cpp
index b6536cdb..2246df4e 100644
--- a/src/gui/log.cpp
+++ b/src/gui/log.cpp
@@ -1,7 +1,5 @@
 #include "gui.h"
 #include "../ta-log.h"
-#include <chrono>
-#include "date/tz.h"
 
 const char* logLevels[5]={
   "ERROR",
@@ -56,11 +54,9 @@ void FurnaceGUI::drawLog() {
         const LogEntry& logEntry=logEntries[(pos+i)&(TA_LOG_SIZE-1)];
         if (!logEntry.ready) continue;
         if (logLevel<logEntry.loglevel) continue;
-        String t=date::format("%T",date::make_zoned(date::current_zone(),date::floor<std::chrono::seconds>(logEntry.time)));
         ImGui::TableNextRow();
         ImGui::TableNextColumn();
-        // this will fail on 32-bit :<
-        ImGui::TextUnformatted(t.c_str());
+        ImGui::Text("%02d:%02d:%02d",logEntry.time.tm_hour,logEntry.time.tm_min,logEntry.time.tm_sec);
         ImGui::TableNextColumn();
         ImGui::TextColored(uiColors[logColors[logEntry.loglevel]],"%s",logLevels[logEntry.loglevel]);
         ImGui::TableNextColumn();
@@ -75,4 +71,4 @@ void FurnaceGUI::drawLog() {
     }
   }
   ImGui::End();
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
diff --git a/src/log.cpp b/src/log.cpp
index a3a6000c..d0ea0603 100644
--- a/src/log.cpp
+++ b/src/log.cpp
@@ -90,11 +90,16 @@ int logE(const char* format, ...) {
 }
 
 int writeLog(int level, const char* msg, fmt::printf_args& args) {
+  time_t thisMakesNoSense=time(NULL);
   int pos=logPosition;
   logPosition=(logPosition+1)&TA_LOG_MASK;
 
   logEntries[pos].text=fmt::vsprintf(msg,args);
-  logEntries[pos].time=std::chrono::system_clock::now();
+  // why do I have to pass a pointer
+  // can't I just pass the time_t directly?!
+  if (localtime_r(&thisMakesNoSense,&logEntries[pos].time)==NULL) {
+    memset(&logEntries[pos].time,0,sizeof(struct tm));
+  }
   logEntries[pos].loglevel=level;
   logEntries[pos].ready=true;
 
@@ -119,4 +124,4 @@ void initLog() {
   for (int i=0; i<TA_LOG_SIZE; i++) {
     logEntries[i].text.reserve(128);
   }
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
diff --git a/src/ta-log.h b/src/ta-log.h
index 666dfa48..dd26dd94 100644
--- a/src/ta-log.h
+++ b/src/ta-log.h
@@ -19,9 +19,9 @@
 
 #ifndef _TA_LOG_H
 #define _TA_LOG_H
-#include <chrono>
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <stdarg.h>
+#include <time.h>
 #include <atomic>
 #include <string>
 #include <fmt/printf.h>
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ extern std::atomic<unsigned short> logPosition;
 
 struct LogEntry {
   int loglevel;
-  std::chrono::system_clock::time_point time;
+  struct tm time;
   std::string text;
   bool ready;
   LogEntry():