Re: Lenny. Locales and Interface Language

Mark Goldshtein wrote:

1. Is a default system locale independent from an interface
language? I mean, is it possible to change a default system
locale to whatever I like and there will be no harm to English
interface I have? [..]

It depends on what you mean by "changing the locale".

AFAIK the "locale" *mainly* determines the user interface.
Messages and prompts from programs, date and currency formats,
paper size (eg "Letter" for US locales), number format (e.g.
thousands separator is comma in some locales, period in others), etc.

Note that messages and prompts from programs for various locales
have to be provided by the programs themselves. If they are not,
messages, etc., will be provided in some default language
(invariably English). Also, it is up to the programs to pay
attention to the "locale"; if they do not, they will generate e.g.
numbers and dates according to the US convention.

So if you want to keep an English user interface, you have to keep
an English locale; but if you also want to read, input, and print
things in other languages than English, you should make sure that
your locale is a UTF-8 one, so you can handle all kinds of
languages and scripts. Examples: en_US.utf8, en_GB.utf8.

Regards, Jan
http://www.jw-stumpel.nl/stestu.html


--
To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-REQUEST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmaster@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Relevant Pages

  • Re: local problem in developing GUI
    ... Does that mean I don't have to care about the language problems in the ... >> met some problems when developing GUI software for English Linux OS. ... On top of this gettext is commonly-used to translate program ... >output into the language specifed by the locale. ...
    (comp.os.linux.development.apps)
  • Re: createmui command problam
    ... my problem is not for default language ....for other locales i have to ... createmui 04xx ..normally that file generrate files to multiui.bib file... ... locale you have not to call createmui for it; ... english) it's not generating multiui.bib file? ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsce.platbuilder)
  • Re: i18ned Character Set in DBMS and tables
    ... he is forced to lie about his locale in order to get the desired language. ... the browser language set to English. ... >> Here I am, posting in English, and living in the Swiss German locale. ...
    (comp.lang.java.programmer)
  • Re: Change Locale of One/All Running Application(s)
    ... Then determine the locale your friend understands, ... GDM let you select language before ... To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-REQUEST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ...
    (Debian-User)
  • Re: help, ive broken my linux but it still boots up!
    ... I bet you must have installed your system by chosing non-English ... You are clearly chosen some non-English language locale as ... As for setting up for your locale only in X to avoid this, ... To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-REQUEST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ...
    (Debian-User)