Technical data

Working in a Multilanguage Environment

By default, the Tru64 UNIX operating system is installed with support for

United States English. However, the system administrator can choose to

install one or more Worldwide Language Support (WLS) subsets, which

provide the tools and features that allow you to work in languages other

than English. Language subsets can also be added after the base operating

system installation. WLS installation and the language subsets available for

installation are described in the operating system

Installation Guide.

This chapter explains how to perform the various setup tasks and use the

software features of language environments other than English. The chapter

assumes that you are familiar with the operating system in its default

English-language environment.

1.1 Overview of Using Internationalized Software

To enable input and display in any language other than English, you must

always set the locale in which your process runs. Locales for particular

languages are installed as WLS subsets, and you can use the locale -a

command to display the available locales. See Section 1.3 for information on

locales and how to set or change locale settings.

If you have superuser privileges, you can use the Configure International

Software utility from the SysMan Menu to set the default login locale

and perform many other internationalization tasks. See Section 1.2 or

the Configure International Software online help for information on using

this utility.

Depending on the language, you may need to perform tasks in addition to

setting a locale. This chapter describes how to perform the following tasks:

• Select keyboard type (Section 1.4)

• Define search paths for specialized data and executable files that are

language specific (Section 1.5)

• Apply printer-control characters, filters, and fonts that are appropriate

for local language printers (Section 1.7)

• Mail text in languages other than English (Section 1.8)

• Display reference pages (Section 1.9)

Working in a Multilanguage Environment 1–1