Vault/VAULT/locale_and_system_language.md

Locale & System Language

Concepts

• locale = all country/language settings (text, numbers, time, currency, sorting)
• Each LC_* variable controls one aspect — they can be mixed independently
• LC_MESSAGES = language the OS uses to talk to you
• LC_COLLATE = sort order (e.g. ß = ss in German)
• Settings live in /etc/locale.conf but KDE overrides this via System Settings

On EndeavourOS + KDE

• Set locale in: System Settings → Region & Language
• KDE has two sections: Language (text) and Formats (numbers/time/currency) — set them independently
• /etc/locale.gen — uncomment locales you need, then run sudo locale-gen
• Diagnose: locale shows current settings, locale -a shows what's installed

Useful commands

• man 7 locale — full explanation of all LC_* variables
• Search inside man: /SEARCHTERM then n for next match