Issue 1:
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Bug report

Bug summary

A short 1-2 sentences that succinctly describes the bug

I receive a UTF-8 error when importing matplotlib == 1.5.1 when installed either from conda or pip. I am using OSX 10.11.6 and Python 3.5.2. This laptop has Spanish locale support but this was done entirely within the US locale setting. There is no matplotlibrc file that I am aware of.

Code for reproduction

$ conda install matplotlib
$ python
> import matplotlib

A minimum code snippet required to reproduce the bug, also minimizing the number of dependencies required

$ conda install matplotlib
$ python
> import matplotlib# Paste your code here

Actual outcome

The output produced by the above code, which may be a screenshot, console output, etc.

$ python
Python 3.5.2 |Continuum Analytics, Inc.| (default, Jul 2 2016, 17:52:12)
[GCC 4.2.1 Compatible Apple LLVM 4.2 (clang-425.0.28)] on darwin
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
>>> import matplotlib
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module>
File "//anaconda/envs/qiime2/lib/python3.5/site-packages/matplotlib/__init__.py", line 1131, in <module>
rcParams = rc_params()
File "//anaconda/envs/qiime2/lib/python3.5/site-packages/matplotlib/__init__.py", line 975, in rc_params
return rc_params_from_file(fname, fail_on_error)
File "//anaconda/envs/qiime2/lib/python3.5/site-packages/matplotlib/__init__.py", line 1100, in rc_params_from_file
config_from_file = _rc_params_in_file(fname, fail_on_error)
File "//anaconda/envs/qiime2/lib/python3.5/site-packages/matplotlib/__init__.py", line 1018, in _rc_params_in_file
with _open_file_or_url(fname) as fd:
File "//anaconda/envs/qiime2/lib/python3.5/contextlib.py", line 59, in __enter__
return next(self.gen)
File "//anaconda/envs/qiime2/lib/python3.5/site-packages/matplotlib/__init__.py", line 1000, in _open_file_or_url
encoding = locale.getdefaultlocale()[1]
File "//anaconda/envs/qiime2/lib/python3.5/locale.py", line 558, in getdefaultlocale
return _parse_localename(localename)
File "//anaconda/envs/qiime2/lib/python3.5/locale.py", line 486, in _parse_localename
raise ValueError('unknown locale: %s' % localename)
ValueError: unknown locale: UTF-8

Expected outcome

A description of the expected outcome from the code snippet

A successful import of matplotlib

If this used to work in an earlier version of Matplotlib, please note the version it used to work on

Matplotlib version

1.5.1

Matplotlib version, Python version and Platform (Windows, OSX, Linux ...)

Please see above

How did you install Matplotlib and Python (pip, anaconda, from source ...)

Tried conda and pip.

Issue 2:
Hi guys!

I am new to python and matplotlib.

I installed everything with macports and when I run the matplotlib test

python2.7 -c 'import matplotlib; print matplotlib.version, matplotlib.file'

I get the following

Traceback (most recent call last):

File "", line 1, in

File "/opt/local/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/site-packages/matplotlib/init.py", line 1131, in

rcParams = rc_params()

File "/opt/local/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/site-packages/matplotlib/init.py", line 975, in rc_params

return rc_params_from_file(fname, fail_on_error)

File "/opt/local/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/site-packages/matplotlib/init.py", line 1100, in rc_params_from_file

config_from_file = _rc_params_in_file(fname, fail_on_error)

File "/opt/local/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/site-packages/matplotlib/init.py", line 1018, in _rc_params_in_file

with _open_file_or_url(fname) as fd:

File "/opt/local/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/contextlib.py", line 17, in enter

return self.gen.next()

File "/opt/local/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/site-packages/matplotlib/init.py", line 1000, in _open_file_or_url

encoding = locale.getdefaultlocale()[1]

File "/opt/local/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/locale.py", line 543, in getdefaultlocale

return _parse_localename(localename)

File "/opt/local/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/locale.py", line 475, in _parse_localename

raise ValueError, 'unknown locale: %s' % localename

ValueError: unknown locale: UTF-8

Do you guys have any idea what is happening....I have not done enything weards just follow simple steps to install it.

I want to use QUTIP and the matplotlib is essential for it...please if someone know it would be really nice

thanks!

regards,