Purpose: discuss the Unix environment variable LANG -
what its purpose is, what problems can be encountered
when using it, etc.

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[MAKR] attempts (2009-01-30): The environment variable `LANG` is part of the set of [internationalization] (sometimes abbreviated [i18n]) variables of [POSIX]. For a definition see there, e.g. at [http://www.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/009695399/basedefs/xbd_chap08.html#tag_08_02], and for the [localization] topic in general see e.g. here [http://www.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/009695399/basedefs/xbd_chap07.html].

To set the default POSIX locale:
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set env(LANG) C
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Sometimes that is not enough, and [LC_ALL] must be set, too:
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set env(LC_ALL) C
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My environment is set to German. I have been using Tcl 8.4 and everything has been fine. Now I try to use 8.5 and setting the LANG environment variable has no effect any longer. See this example:
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$ echo $LANG
de_DE.UTF-8
$ tclsh8.4
% puts [clock format [clock seconds]]
Do Mär 12 13:19:56 CET 2009
% exit
$ tclsh8.5
% puts [clock format [clock seconds]]
Thu Mar 12 13:20:06 CET 2009
% exit
======
Why does Tcl 8.5 behave differently? What can I do in order to get the old behaviour back? I would like to have German names for days, months and so on.
[HolgerJ], 2008-03-12

[KBK] 2008-03-12:  [[clock format [[clock seconds]] -locale system]] should do it. Since far more uses of [clock] are for consumption by machines than by humans, 8.5 chooses a locale-neutral format as the default. ''-locale system'' says, "use whatever the OS thinks is the current locale;" ''-locale current'' says, "use whatever the msgcat system thinks is the current locale," or you could say, ''-locale de_DE' to say, "make it German irrespective of locale settings."
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[DKF]: Tcl makes use of LANG during startup when guessing what [encoding system] should return.
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!!!!!!
%| [Category Unix] | [Category Local] |%
!!!!!!