Bug#1103722: gnome-terminal: does not open when locale in dconf isn't generated

[Bart Martens]

Package: gnome-terminal
Version: 3.46.8-1
Severity: normal
X-Debbugs-Cc: bartm at debian.org

When the value of /system/locale/region in .config/dconf/user is no
longer in /etc/locale.gen, then gnome-terminal silently fails to open.
The expected behavior is that gnome-terminal still opens. It could use
the locale from /etc/default/locale.

A quick fix/workaround is: dconf reset /system/locale/region

=== start of AI generated summary ===

Problem: GNOME Terminal Not Opening on Debian 12

After installing Debian 12, GNOME Terminal fails to open
without any error message. When running `gnome-terminal`
from an `xterm` window, the terminal fails to launch, and
`journalctl` shows a "locale not supported" error.

Diagnosis

1. Checking Locale Settings:

   The issue was tied to incorrect locale settings. By
   running the command `locale`, it showed that the system
   was set to use `en_US.UTF-8`, but the `dconf` database
   contained a conflicting `region=nl_BE.UTF-8` value under
   `/system/locale/region`. This value had not been
   generated on the system by `dpkg-reconfigure locales`.

2. Using `dconf dump /`:

   Running `dconf dump /` confirmed that the
   `region=nl_BE.UTF-8` setting was present, which was
   causing the mismatch between the locale setting and the
   system's available locales.

Solution

1. Generate the Missing Locale:

   Run the following command to generate the correct
   locales, including `nl_BE.UTF-8` if necessary: `sudo
   dpkg-reconfigure locales` Ensure that `en_US.UTF-8` (or
   any other desired locales) are selected during the
   process.

2. Reset the Incorrect `dconf` Locale Region:

   Since the `dconf` database had an incorrect region value,
   reset it by running: `dconf reset /system/locale/region`

3. Re-test GNOME Terminal:

   After generating the correct locales and resetting the
   `dconf` region, GNOME Terminal should now open correctly.

Conclusion

The issue was caused by a mismatch between the locale set in
the system (`en_US.UTF-8`) and a conflicting `region`
setting in `dconf` (`nl_BE.UTF-8`). By generating the
correct locale using `dpkg-reconfigure locales` and
resetting the `region` in `dconf`, the problem was resolved,
allowing GNOME Terminal to open normally.

=== end of AI generated summary ===