GDM ignores LC_MESSAGES (as set by Language Support)

[Someone]

GDM is ignoring the LC_MESSAGES environment variable as set by the Language Support option when clicking apply system wide for the regional settings with a different desktop display language.

This means that if you set a region different than the language in which you choose to display the desktop and use the apply system wide, GDM will display in the language of the region setting instead of the one the desktop is displayed in.

Steps to reproduce:
1. Have your desktop set to some language and your region to the same.
2. Change your region setting and press apply system wide.
3. Logout and view the language GDM is in

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.04
Package: gdm 2.32.1-0ubuntu3.2
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.38-11.50-generic 2.6.38.8
Uname: Linux 2.6.38-11-generic i686
Architecture: i386
Date: Thu Oct 13 02:14:31 2011
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 11.04 "Natty Narwhal" - Release i386 (20110427.1)
ProcEnviron:
 LANGUAGE=en_US:en
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: gdm
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

[Gunnar Hjalmarsson (gunnarhj)]

Thanks for your effort to improve Ubuntu by reporting this bug!

It's the environment variables in /etc/default/locale that determine how the login screen is displayed. The installer does not set LC_MESSAGES, only LANG.

To have the login screen be displayed in a language independently from the locale you select for regional formats, you need to click "Apply System-Wide" on the "Language" tab in Language Support. That sets LC_MESSAGES (and LANGUAGE) in /etc/default/locale. (In Ubuntu 11.10 this measure is taken automatically if you change the regional formats setting system-wide.)

Please let us know if this explanation addresses your reported issue sufficiently.

[Someone (temp4746)]

Yes the behavior you describe is what I'm seeing.

In Ubuntu 11.04 I need to press apply system-wide in the Language tab in addition to apply system wide in the regional tab.

And in Ubuntu 11.10 pressing apply system wide in the region tab also does it for the language tab.

Thank you.
I guess this isn't a bug more a design issue that what already fixed in Ubuntu 11.10

[Gunnar Hjalmarsson (gunnarhj)]

You're welcome. Bug or not, it was fixed in 11.10. :)