#1151017 man-db: broken layout when running "LESS=-J man bash"

Package:
man-db
Source:
man-db
Description:
tools for reading manual pages
Submitter:
hank
Date:
2026-10-15 22:17:02 UTC
Severity:
normal
#1151017#5
Date:
2026-10-15 22:14:20 UTC
From:
To:
Dear Maintainer,

When attempting to view manual pages using the "man" command while the
LESS environment variable is overridden with the "-J" option, the output
rendered in the terminal becomes garbled.

Specifically, running the following command demonstrates the issue:
  LESS=-J man bash

Expected Behavior:
The manual page for bash should open and render normally in the pager.

Actual Behavior:
The terminal text display breaks, rendering garbled text.

Regression Info:
* Version 2.12.0-4 of man-db works correctly under identical conditions.
* Version 2.12.1-1 and later versions introduced this broken behavior.

Thank you!