Setting Language desktop mode

[a_HupGrade]

Need help with strange in desktop mode / console :
Yesterday add my locale language from system setting -> OK
From console launch command like man man ... work
Today in desktop mode is odds in System setting ->regional Setting -> add/change language: the button "add languages" is disable with this message in language window "There are no additional language..."
In console bash launch command man man don't work outout :

 >man man  
man: can't set the locale; make sure $LC_* and $LANG are correct
No manual entry for man

In console bash launch command locale output:

> locale
locale: Cannot set LC_CTYPE to default locale: No such file or directory
locale: Cannot set LC_MESSAGES to default locale: No such file or directory
locale: Cannot set LC_ALL to default locale: No such file or directory
LANG=en_US.UTF-8
LC_CTYPE="en_US.UTF-8"
LC_NUMERIC="en_US.UTF-8"
LC_TIME="en_US.UTF-8"
LC_COLLATE="en_US.UTF-8"
LC_MONETARY="en_US.UTF-8"
LC_MESSAGES="en_US.UTF-8"
LC_PAPER="en_US.UTF-8"
LC_NAME="en_US.UTF-8"
LC_ADDRESS="en_US.UTF-8"
LC_TELEPHONE="en_US.UTF-8"
LC_MEASUREMENT="en_US.UTF-8"
LC_IDENTIFICATION="en_US.UTF-8"
LC_ALL=


>locale -a  output:

locale: Cannot set LC_CTYPE to default locale: No such file or directory
locale: Cannot set LC_MESSAGES to default locale: No such file or directory
locale: Cannot set LC_COLLATE to default locale: No such file or directory
C
POSIX

try regenerate locale editing locale.gen file
uncomment en_US.UTF-8 line save
lunch command locale-gen with this error:

>sudo locale-gen
[sudo] password for deck: 
Generating locales...
  en_US.UTF-8...failed to set locale!
[error] cannot open locale definition file `en_GB': No such file or directory

what next ? Please help me .

[jrepin]

I remember having a similar problem about two years ago. If I remember ocrrectly I had to delete /usr/share/i18n/locales/en_US.UTF-8 before running locale-gen command. maybe I also had to reinstall the glibc packages before that, but I am not sure about this anymore.

[a_HupGrade]

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[Wrestler7]

I’ve been struggling with this issue for way too long. Here’s how I fixed it:

sudo pacman -Syu glibc
sudo locale-gen 

And that’s it!

Before that I’ve messed about with a bunch of config files to set the locale to German but I honestly can’t remember how and where. But I *think* all you have to do is reinstall glibc and generate the locale again using these two commands.

Finding a solution to this was honestly way harder than it should have been.

[bastiHST]

You can change language? Is there a noobproof how to? I also would like to have it in German. But no idea what to type in the console.

[a_HupGrade]

Thank you Wrestler7 for help
Try reintall glibc with this error :

2022-06-07T13:46:51+0200] [PACMAN] Running 'pacman -Syu glibc'
[2022-06-07T13:46:51+0200] [PACMAN] synchronizing package lists
[2022-06-07T13:46:52+0200] [PACMAN] starting full system upgrade
[2022-06-07T13:46:56+0200] [ALPM] transaction started
[2022-06-07T13:46:57+0200] [ALPM] warning: directory permissions differ on /var/db/
filesystem: 711  package: 755
[2022-06-07T13:46:57+0200] [ALPM] reinstalled glibc (2.33-5)
[2022-06-07T13:46:57+0200] [ALPM-SCRIPTLET] rm: cannot remove '/usr/lib/locale/locale-archive': Read-only file system
[2022-06-07T13:46:57+0200] [ALPM-SCRIPTLET] Generating locales...
[2022-06-07T13:46:57+0200] [ALPM-SCRIPTLET] Generation complete.
[2022-06-07T13:46:57+0200] [ALPM] transaction completed
[2022-06-07T13:46:57+0200] [ALPM] running '30-systemd-daemon-reload.hook'...
[2022-06-07T13:46:57+0200] [ALPM] running '30-systemd-tmpfiles.hook'...
[2022-06-07T13:46:57+0200] [ALPM-SCRIPTLET] /usr/lib/tmpfiles.d/steamos.conf:24: Duplicate line for path "/var/empty", ignoring.
[2022-06-07T13:46:57+0200] [ALPM-SCRIPTLET] /usr/lib/tmpfiles.d/tmp.conf:12: Duplicate line for path "/var/tmp", ignoring.
[2022-06-07T13:46:57+0200] [ALPM-SCRIPTLET] /usr/lib/tmpfiles.d/var.conf:19: Duplicate line for path "/var/cache", ignoring.
[2022-06-07T13:46:57+0200] [ALPM] running '30-systemd-update.hook'...
[2022-06-07T13:46:57+0200] [ALPM-SCRIPTLET] touch: setting times of '/usr': Read-only file system
[2022-06-07T13:46:57+0200] [ALPM] running 'texinfo-install.hook'...

Seems error on file system Read-only.

[Marlock]

Steam Deck's SteamOS 3 is not a normal linux distro...

the system partition is shipped read-only by default, though unlike most smartphones, tablets and gadgets, it's a mostly full-featured linux OS and it CAN be unlocked without dificulty (and even entirely replaced by another OS including windows and other linux distros, but Valve did put a lot of effort in making it unique and great for the Deck)

the changes made to the system after making it writeable can aldo be completely lost after OS upgrades, because it ships the system in an A/B update scheme, which replaces B by a new system image while using A, then defaults to booting from B, and falls back to A if something went wrong

those 2 features make it almost impossible to destroy, but also make it harder to tweak and keep tweaked

[retrogunner]

Another feature to allow the use of alterable files is the use of OverlayFS. You will find /home/.steamos/ which is where the /etc/ overlay and /var/ is kept ( IIRC /root/ too - mine's out of reach atm.)

So package installs will be met with an install error. Those failed package will be filling up your /var/cache/ and/or /var/tmp/ -- so clean up.

So you should be able to manually edit your locale settings & retain them.

Given you're messing with locale, I suspect you'll be doing some CLI action & scripting.

Personally, I'm not using pacmac for my installs given the r/o filesystem and frequent OS updates. Instead, I've installed "linuxbrew" (Just brew.sh on Linux) into /home/linuxbrew (and updated my /home/deck/.bashrc.)
https://docs.brew.sh/Homebrew-on-Linux

Brew.sh allows me to install most everything I need CLI-wise that's not available as a Flatpak and nearly anything I want to install via pacman. Brew's base dep installs alone weigh-in over 600MB - but that's smaller than using Flatpaks anyway. Some installs are just fine while others require compiling. I installed midnight-commander just fine.

To help me out, I've 'brew install ansible' for v2.9 as ansible-core is not available. Now, I'm starting to work on some playbooks to make my post-OS upgrades tolerable - and to standardize my [potential] future HOWTOs for Steam Deck.

For the brew compiles, I'll need to (which will be part of my playbooks):
* if base-devel is missing # the only, single pacman install.
* enable r/w
* sudo pacman -Sy base-devel # after every OS update
* disable r/w

All the sourcecode and compiles for brew will stay in /home/linuxbrew/ and just a `brew cleanup` away to free up space (or `brew cleanup -s --prune=all` for maximum cleanup)

Hope this gives you some additional options/usage for your Steam Deck.

Cheers, retro.

P.S. And for those with a 64GB model, you'll be pressed for space over time even without these antics. You should consider replacing that eMMC with at least a $40-$50 256GB NVMe.

[Wrestler7]

Originally posted by a_HupGrade:

Thank you Wrestler7 for help
Try reintall glibc with this error :
…

Seems error on file system Read-only.

Try disabling the read only file system with:

sudo steamos-readonly disable

[a_HupGrade]

Originally posted by retrogunner:

......Cut I've installed "linuxbrew" (Just brew.sh on Linux) into /home/linuxbrew (and updated my /home/deck/.bashrc.)
https://docs.brew.sh/Homebrew-on-Linux

Brew.sh allows me to install most everything I need CLI-wise that's not available as a Flatpak and nearly anything I want to install via pacman. Brew's base dep installs alone weigh-in over 600MB - but that's smaller than using Flatpaks anyway. Some installs are just fine while others require compiling. I installed midnight-commander just fine.....
cut....

Thanks try it in the next future.

Originally posted by Wrestler7:

Try disabling the read only file system with:

sudo steamos-readonly disable

Thanks, this is the log of pacman:

 [PACMAN] Running 'pacman -Syu glibc'
 [PACMAN] synchronizing package lists
 [PACMAN] starting full system upgrade
 [ALPM] transaction started
 [ALPM] warning: directory permissions differ on /var/db/ filesystem: 711  package: 755
 [ALPM] reinstalled glibc (2.33-5)
 [ALPM-SCRIPTLET] Generating locales...
 [ALPM-SCRIPTLET]   en_US.UTF-8... done
 [ALPM-SCRIPTLET]   it_IT.UTF-8... done
 [ALPM-SCRIPTLET] Generation complete.
 [ALPM] warning: /etc/default/grub installed as /etc/default/grub.pacnew
 [ALPM] upgraded grub (2:2.06-4.2 -> 2:2.06-4.5)
 [ALPM] transaction completed
 [ALPM] running '30-systemd-daemon-reload.hook'...
 [ALPM] running '30-systemd-tmpfiles.hook'...
 [ALPM-SCRIPTLET] /usr/lib/tmpfiles.d/steamos.conf:24: Duplicate line for path "/var/empty", ignoring.
 [ALPM-SCRIPTLET] /usr/lib/tmpfiles.d/tmp.conf:12: Duplicate line for path "/var/tmp", ignoring.
 [ALPM-SCRIPTLET] /usr/lib/tmpfiles.d/var.conf:19: Duplicate line for path "/var/cache", ignoring.
[ALPM] running '30-systemd-update.hook'...
[ALPM] running 'texinfo-install.hook'...

Seems OK, but man man don't work idem man ls

>man man
No manual entry for man

> man ls
No manual entry for ls

:(

[Wrestler7]

@a_HupGrade

So after a system update I had to deal with the faulty locale... AGAIN. Because... of course I had to!

What helped me was essentially:

 
sudo steamos-readonly disable
sudo pacman -Syu glibc #(MASH this command into the command line repeatedly until EVENTUALLY the errors go away and the following command finally works!)
sudo locale-gen

Works for me. It's just annoying as hell that I have to do this....

[Selven]

hi i've folowed @wrestler7 instructin after workin with
etc/ocale.conf (changed form english to my language (italian)
and etc/locale.gen (where i removed the #before my language enabling it), actually i have konsole in italian, but i'm not able to translate the remaing part of plasma, i have half system in italian e half system in english, anyone know how to fix the translation of plasma and it's app?

[Marlock]

SteamOS 3 is probably missing some ITA language packages... I'm pretty sure proper translations exist for all KDE components, so I have to assume some error from Valve when putting their linux distro together...

assuming that's what's happening it can be fixed, but it will require more steps than in a normal linux PC (making SteamOS system partition writeable + enabling the sudo (admin) account password before using the admin commands to install the extra packages) and major upgrades to theOS will likely wipe it all and you'll have to repeat the process

[Selven]

hi marlock, i just have the sudo command active, i just want to know how to download a full localization for kde plasma

[Marlock]

sorry, but you're gonna have to ask that in the Steam for Linux forum or google it...

I'm not using a KDE-based linux distro at all here to be able to guide you properly through that step

since SteamOS 3 is based on Arch-Linux one place to look would be the Arch-Wiki... it's a really thorough and well-structured documentation of that distro (even users of other linux distros frequently resort to it for hairy issues)
https://wiki.archlinux.org/

[Marlock]

i was surprised to be unable to find the correct section of tje arch-wiki that might discuss how language/translation packages are organized... i'm sure i'm just using the wrong words to search

anyway at least I bumped into a few small insights:

~9 years ago KDE had some parts of the UI with italian translation missing
https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/83204/wrong-language-setting-in-arch-kde

~1 year ago this guy needed help to finish applying italian as a language on KDE, because he manually set it up in one place correctly but not on another... you could doublecheck the same settings to see if they are correctly set to italian on your deck
https://forum.kde.org/viewtopic.php?t=170750

~3 years ago this guide mentions that some apps obbey keyboard layout language but ignore language settings (though it shouldn't affect core parts of KDE)... maybe setting the keyboard layout to italian (even without a keyboard) might help
https://www.maketecheasier.com/configure-language-settings-in-kde/

Other Considerations

It is worth noting that non-KDE apps will usually follow the keyboard layouts but may not follow language settings. For those, you will need to configure them manually.

ps: i noted how old each source is because things change and old advice may not apply equally to newer versions of the OS