Index: modules/node/node.module
===================================================================
RCS file: /cvs/drupal/drupal/modules/node/node.module,v
retrieving revision 1.882
diff -u -p -r1.882 node.module
--- modules/node/node.module	14 Sep 2007 09:37:29 -0000	1.882
+++ modules/node/node.module	17 Sep 2007 07:41:02 -0000
@@ -754,10 +754,9 @@ function node_submit($node) {
     else {
       $node->uid = 0;
     }
-
-    $node->created = $node->date ? strtotime($node->date) : NULL;
   }
 
+  $node->created = !empty($node->date) ? strtotime($node->date) : time();
   $node->validated = TRUE;
 
   return $node;
Index: modules/node/node.pages.inc
===================================================================
RCS file: /cvs/drupal/drupal/modules/node/node.pages.inc,v
retrieving revision 1.2
diff -u -p -r1.2 node.pages.inc
--- modules/node/node.pages.inc	9 Sep 2007 19:52:29 -0000	1.2
+++ modules/node/node.pages.inc	17 Sep 2007 07:41:04 -0000
@@ -62,17 +62,7 @@ function node_form_validate($form, &$for
 }
 
 function node_object_prepare(&$node) {
-  if (user_access('administer nodes')) {
-    // Set up default values, if required.
-    if (!isset($node->created)) {
-      $node->created = time();
-    }
-
-    if (!isset($node->date)) {
-      $node->date = format_date($node->created, 'custom', 'Y-m-d H:i:s O');
-    }
-  }
-
+  // Set up default values, if required.
   $node_options = variable_get('node_options_'. $node->type, array('status', 'promote'));
   // If this is a new node, fill in the default values.
   if (!isset($node->nid)) {
@@ -81,6 +71,10 @@ function node_object_prepare(&$node) {
     }
     global $user;
     $node->uid = $user->uid;
+    $node->created = time();
+  }
+  else {
+    $node->date = format_date($node->created, 'custom', 'Y-m-d H:i:s O');
   }
   // Always use the default revision setting.
   $node->revision = in_array('revision', $node_options);
@@ -160,34 +154,35 @@ function node_form(&$form_state, $node) 
   }
 
   // Node author information for administrators
-  $form['author'] = array(
-    '#type' => 'fieldset',
-    '#access' => user_access('administer nodes'),
-    '#title' => t('Authoring information'),
-    '#collapsible' => TRUE,
-    '#collapsed' => TRUE,
-    '#weight' => 20,
-  );
-  $form['author']['name'] = array('#type' => 'textfield', '#title' => t('Authored by'), '#maxlength' => 60, '#autocomplete_path' => 'user/autocomplete', '#default_value' => $node->name ? $node->name : '', '#weight' => -1, '#description' => t('Leave blank for %anonymous.', array('%anonymous' => variable_get('anonymous', t('Anonymous')))));
-  $form['author']['date'] = array('#type' => 'textfield', '#title' => t('Authored on'), '#maxlength' => 25, '#description' => t('Format: %time. Leave blank to use the time of form submission.', array('%time' => $node->date)));
-
-  if (isset($node->nid)) {
-    $form['author']['date']['#default_value'] = $node->date;
+  if (user_access('administer nodes')) {
+    $form['author'] = array(
+      '#type' => 'fieldset',
+      '#access' => user_access('administer nodes'),
+      '#title' => t('Authoring information'),
+      '#collapsible' => TRUE,
+      '#collapsed' => TRUE,
+      '#weight' => 20,
+    );
+    $form['author']['name'] = array('#type' => 'textfield', '#title' => t('Authored by'), '#maxlength' => 60, '#autocomplete_path' => 'user/autocomplete', '#default_value' => $node->name ? $node->name : '', '#weight' => -1, '#description' => t('Leave blank for %anonymous.', array('%anonymous' => variable_get('anonymous', t('Anonymous')))));
+    $form['author']['date'] = array('#type' => 'textfield', '#title' => t('Authored on'), '#maxlength' => 25, '#description' => t('Format: %time. Leave blank to use the time of form submission.', array('%time' => !empty($node->date) ? $node->date : format_date($node->created, 'custom', 'Y-m-d H:i:s O'))));
+  
+    if (isset($node->date)) {
+      $form['author']['date']['#default_value'] = $node->date;
+    }
+  
+    // Node options for administrators
+    $form['options'] = array(
+      '#type' => 'fieldset',
+      '#access' => user_access('administer nodes'),
+      '#title' => t('Publishing options'),
+      '#collapsible' => TRUE,
+      '#collapsed' => TRUE,
+      '#weight' => 25,
+    );
+    $form['options']['status']   = array('#type' => 'checkbox', '#title' => t('Published'), '#default_value' => $node->status);
+    $form['options']['promote']  = array('#type' => 'checkbox', '#title' => t('Promoted to front page'), '#default_value' => $node->promote);
+    $form['options']['sticky']   = array('#type' => 'checkbox', '#title' => t('Sticky at top of lists'), '#default_value' => $node->sticky);
   }
-
-  // Node options for administrators
-  $form['options'] = array(
-    '#type' => 'fieldset',
-    '#access' => user_access('administer nodes'),
-    '#title' => t('Publishing options'),
-    '#collapsible' => TRUE,
-    '#collapsed' => TRUE,
-    '#weight' => 25,
-  );
-  $form['options']['status']   = array('#type' => 'checkbox', '#title' => t('Published'), '#default_value' => $node->status);
-  $form['options']['promote']  = array('#type' => 'checkbox', '#title' => t('Promoted to front page'), '#default_value' => $node->promote);
-  $form['options']['sticky']   = array('#type' => 'checkbox', '#title' => t('Sticky at top of lists'), '#default_value' => $node->sticky);
-
   // These values are used when the user has no administrator access.
   foreach (array('uid', 'created') as $key) {
     $form[$key] = array('#type' => 'value', '#value' => $node->$key);
@@ -336,10 +331,6 @@ function node_preview($node) {
       $node->picture = $user->picture;
     }
 
-    // Set the timestamps when needed:
-    if ($node->date) {
-      $node->created = strtotime($node->date);
-    }
     $node->changed = time();
 
     // Extract a teaser, if it hasn't been set (e.g. by a module-provided