Accepted ways when upstream author insists on using MANPATH env var?

[Shaul Karl <shaulk@israsrv.net.il>]

TkMan author insists on using the MANPATH environment variable.
The bottom line is that

        * TkMan used to have a variety of ways to set the MANPATH if it 
        was not already set. The MANPATH is simple to set, is recognized
        on all flavors of UNIX and all man-related tools, is easily 
        customized, and does everything that these other ways did.  It 
        is now the one and only way to communicate man directories to 
        TkMan. 

He is explaining his position quite throughly but basically I believe it boils 
to that he has found this to be the best way to handle different flavors of 
UNIX.

This state of affairs contradicts section 3.9 of the policy.

My current solution is to patch the programe with a conditional setting of the 
MANPATH:

if {![info exists env(MANPATH)] || [string equal [string trim $env(MANPATH)] 
""]} {
set env(MANPATH) [ exec /usr/bin/manpath ];}

What are the acceptable ways to handle similar situations? Is there a better 
way other then using /usr/bin/manpath?

-- 
	
	--  Shaul Karl <shaulk@israsrv.net.il>

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