My solution to the ever growing locales package...

[Ben Collins <bcollins@debian.org>]

This is based on some suggestions from Ulrich Drepper (glibc upstream).
Basically, the locales package will not come with pre-compiled
definitions. The locales package was starting to grow to about 30+ Megs
installed size, which is completely useless.

So now we have /etc/locale.gen. This file is a complete list of
*supported* locales, all commented out. Upon installing the locales
package, it will execute a script (which can also be run manually),
/usr/sbin/locale-gen. This script does exactly the same thing that was
done for the pre-compiled packaged versions, except on demand.

So, from now on, you need to uncomment the locales you want to have
precompiled. Everytime the locales package is upgraded, those locales will
be regenerated.

I'd also like to look at some sort of on-demand setup, where upon login, a
users env is checked for possible locales that may need to be generated.
What I am considering right now is either a default profile addition that
executes an sgid program (which will call localesdef), or a pam module
(limited use though), or maybe both.

Note, this locales change will be occuring in the next upload (probably
2.1.97-2 or 2.2.0-1, which ever happens to get done first :)

Ben

-- 
 -----------=======-=-======-=========-----------=====------------=-=------
/  Ben Collins  --  ...on that fantastic voyage...  --  Debian GNU/Linux   \
`  bcollins@debian.org  --  bcollins@openldap.org  --  bcollins@linux.com  '
 `---=========------=======-------------=-=-----=-===-======-------=--=---'