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