diff --git a/etc/config.fish b/etc/config.fish
index f4126d360..9be6f0728 100644
--- a/etc/config.fish
+++ b/etc/config.fish
@@ -1,30 +1,14 @@
-#
-# Init file for fish
-#
-
-#
-# Some things should only be done for login terminals
-#
-
-if status --is-login
-
-	# Check for i18n information in
-	# /etc/sysconfig/i18n
-
-	if test -f /etc/sysconfig/i18n
-		eval (cat /etc/sysconfig/i18n |sed -ne 's/^\([a-zA-Z]*\)=\(.*\)$/set -gx \1 \2;/p')
-	end
-
-	#
-	# Put linux consoles in unicode mode.
-	#
-
-	if test "$TERM" = linux
-		if expr "$LANG" : ".*\.[Uu][Tt][Ff].*" >/dev/null
-			if which unicode_start >/dev/null
-				unicode_start
-			end
-		end
-	end
-end
+# Put system-wide fish configuration entries here
+# or in .fish files in conf.d/
+# Files in conf.d can be overridden by the user
+# by files with the same name in $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/fish/conf.d
 
+# This file is run by all fish instances.
+# To include configuration only for login shells, use
+# if status --is-login
+#    ...
+# end
+# To include configuration only for interactive shells, use
+# if status --is-interactiv
+#   ...
+# end
diff --git a/share/config.fish b/share/config.fish
index b7a461c3e..9ed3250a7 100644
--- a/share/config.fish
+++ b/share/config.fish
@@ -176,3 +176,32 @@ if not set -q __fish_init_2_3_0
 	set fish_user_abbreviations $fab
 	set -U __fish_init_2_3_0
 end
+
+#
+# Some things should only be done for login terminals
+# This used to be in etc/config.fish - keep it here to keep the semantics
+#
+
+if status --is-login
+
+	# Check for i18n information in
+	# /etc/sysconfig/i18n
+
+	if test -f /etc/sysconfig/i18n
+		string match -r '^[a-zA-Z]*=.*' < /etc/sysconfig/i18n | while read -l line
+			set -gx (string split '=' -m 1 -- $line | string replace -ra '"([^"]+)"' '$1' | string replace -ra "'([^']+)'" '$1')
+		end
+	end
+
+	#
+	# Put linux consoles in unicode mode.
+	#
+
+	if test "$TERM" = linux
+		if string match -qir '\.UTF' -- $LANG
+			if command -s unicode_start >/dev/null
+				unicode_start
+			end
+		end
+	end
+end