Caveat: Language Identity Ambiguity Syndrome

I was installing some Java add-on on my computer and walked through a series of text/approval windows that appeared like the one below.

[broken link! FIXME] Javadisaster

Obviously, Java needs to work out some language-compatibility issues.  This isn't that uncommon with software in Korea – but it seems to arise mostly in the context of computers with "language-identity ambiguity syndrome" (LIAS), where user selected some strange middle ground between only-Korean and only-English (or some other language).  Such as my computer.

Meanwhile, I wonder if the Java add-on will work?  I have no idea – I just kind of clicked the most likely buttons, based on experience with other such install windows.  Who knows?

2 Comments

  1. [Here’s my response, sent to Java support via email, too]
    The reason I used the term “Language Identity Ambiguity Syndrome” is because my computer seems to be very confused. It’s a Korean knock-off brand (Jooyontech) desktop running Windows 7 Home (K) [K is for Korea, presumably].
    All of its OS interactivity is in the Korean language. Yet its “locale” is “USA” (actually, it says 미국, which is Korean for USA) and its “language” is “영어” (which is Korean for English). Interesting, right? The computer thinks it’s in the USA and that its language is English, but it presents this information in Korean only.
    Ultimately, this seems to be more of a Microsoft problem, I would guess, than a Java problem. The Java problem only lies in how inelegantly Java deals with it. Presenting question marks (which is probably some misinterpretation of unicode?) makes the software unusable, whereas presenting in either Korean, or English, in seemingly random fashion (which is how most of my software deals with this strange set up I have) is preferable.
    Thanks.

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