What exactly is the consequence of changing the “system locale” in Windows 8?

Question

I read http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/change-the-system-locale (windows 8 linked me to this help page)

and I still can't completely understand what that means. In which way is the system locale different than the display language?

Answer 1

System Locale (Language for non-Unicode Programs):

This setting has three major purposes:

• Specifies the default ANSI, OEM, MAC, and EBCDIC code pages to use for non-Unicode programs.

• Specifies some of the font linking preferences for CJK fonts and for legacy bitmap fonts.

• Specifies application behavior when developers incorrectly use this setting rather than the DEFAULT USER LOCALE.

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User Locale (Standards and Formats):

This setting controls the way information is presented - the sort order in list boxes, the format of date, time, number, and currency values, the calendar you prefer to use.

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Input Locale (Input Method/Language):

This setting specifies the input language and the method for input devices, such as the keyboard layout. The input locale (also called input language) is a per-process setting that describes an input language (for example, Greek) and an input method (for example, the keyboard).

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Display Language

This setting specifies the default system language to display user interface (UI) items (such as menus, dialog boxes, and help files).

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References

• Michael Kaplan - What is my locale? Well, which locale do you mean?

• Windows Locales and Languages FAQ

• TechNet - SystemLocale, UserLocale, InputLocale, UILanguage

• Windows 8 language packs are available

• Building Windows 8 - Using the language you want

• How to change Language for non-Unicode programs in Windows 8

• How can I change the spell check and auto-correction language of IE10/Windows8?