Package: util-linux
Version: 2.38
Severity: serious

The documentation for dmesg states that "A pager is enabled by default for --human output." However, if the less pager is not installed, the output is not sent to a pager unless the PAGER variable is set.
This means that there is a hard-coded and undocumented dependency on the less package for correct behaviour. At the least, this 
appears to be a violation of the Debian Policy Manual, section 3.5.
https://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-binary.html#dependencies

Possible solutions, not in any order:
- Default to the more pager (included in the same package as dmesg)
- Default to /etc/alternatives/pager
- Declare a dependency on sensible-utils, to use sensible-pager from that 
package
- Declare a dependancy on the less package
- Update documentation to reflect actual behaviour and suggest setting the 
PAGER variable

Temporary workaround:
- set PAGER to the preferred pager.



-- System Information:
Debian Release: bookworm/sid
  APT prefers unreleased
  APT policy: (500, 'unreleased'), (500, 'unstable')
Architecture: powerpc (ppc)

Kernel: Linux 5.16.0-5-powerpc
Kernel taint flags: TAINT_UNSIGNED_MODULE
Locale: LANG=en_CA.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=en_CA.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8), 
LANGUAGE=en_CA:en
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /usr/bin/dash
Init: systemd (via /run/systemd/system)

Versions of packages util-linux depends on:
ii  libblkid1         2.38-4
ii  libc6             2.33-7
ii  libcap-ng0        0.8.3-1
ii  libcrypt1         1:4.4.28-1
ii  libmount1         2.38-4
ii  libpam0g          1.4.0-13
ii  libselinux1       3.4-1
ii  libsmartcols1     2.38-4
ii  libsystemd0       251.2-2
ii  libtinfo6         6.3+20220423-2
ii  libudev1          251.2-7
ii  libuuid1          2.38-4
ii  util-linux-extra  2.38-4
ii  zlib1g            1:1.2.11.dfsg-4

util-linux recommends no packages.

Versions of packages util-linux suggests:
ii  dosfstools          4.2-1
ii  kbd                 2.3.0-3
ii  util-linux-locales  2.38-4

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