[arch-general] System vs. user-wide locale

[Alad Wenter]

Hi,

Arch Linux currently emphasises on setting the locale system-wide. If a non-english language is desired, it should be uncommented in /etc/locale.gen (besides en_US.UTF-8), and set in /etc/locale.conf.

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Installation_guide#Configure_the_system

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Beginner%27s_guide#Locale

While the Locale article mentions a user-wide setting (.config/locale.conf), this is more an aside for "multi-user" systems.

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Locale#Setting_per-user_locale

An alternative approach is mentioned in the Funtoo FAQ:

"The next thing I recommend is to try to avoid changing the global system LANG setting, and instead set the LANG setting on a per-user basis by adding the desired LANG setting to your ~/.bashrc. This will preserve English log output in /var/log and make it easier to search for more common matching English strings on the Internet when you need help."

http://www.funtoo.org/Funtoo_Linux_FAQ#What_if_I_want_to_use_a_non-English_locale.2Flanguage.3F

Thus /etc/locale.conf would have LANG=en_US.UTF-8, and other languages would be defined in ~/.bashrc (or rather ~/.config/locale.conf).

This sounds like a fair argument. Are there possible downsides to this approach in Arch, or can/should the respective articles be updated?

Regards,

-- 
Alad Wenter <the.changing.side at gmail.com>