What should Python apps do when asked to show help?

[Rustom Mody]

On Saturday, April 30, 2016 at 9:46:19 AM UTC+5:30, Random832 wrote:
> On Sat, Apr 30, 2016, at 00:06, Ben Finney wrote:
> > Steven D'Aprano  writes:
> > 
> > > So they want the PAGER environment variable to specify what pager they
> > > want...
> > >
> > > ...so long as applications don't actually make use of that PAGER
> > > environment variable to determine the pager they want to use.
> > 
> > This at least does not baldly misrepresent the position being made :-)
> 
> I still don't understand how it's a misrepresentation. They said they
> don't want stuff (where "stuff" includes pydoc but it's not clear why or
> where it ends) to automatically use a pager without being requested, and
> provided absolutely no criteria by which pydoc is special and shouldn't
> behave the same as git and man do (since the entire reason PAGER=cat is
> an unacceptable solution is that it "cripples" git and man).

Also environment variables are a nuisance and an antipattern:
http://peterlyons.com/problog/2010/02/environment-variables-considered-harmful