gistfile1.diff

diff --git a/easybuild/main.py b/easybuild/main.py
index 8b41b18..28ac11e 100644
--- a/easybuild/main.py
+++ b/easybuild/main.py
@@ -248,7 +248,7 @@ def parse_options():
 
     return options, paths, log, logfile, hn, parser
 
-def main(options):
+def main(options, orig_paths, log, logfile, hn, parser):
     """
     Main function:
     @arg options: a tuple: (options, paths, logger, logfile, hn) as defined in parse_options
@@ -264,7 +264,6 @@ def main(options):
                         "Exiting.\n")
         sys.exit(1)
 
-    options, orig_paths, log, logfile, hn, parser = options
     # show version
     if options.version:
         print_msg("This is EasyBuild %s" % VERBOSE_VERSION, log)
@@ -1451,7 +1450,7 @@ def print_tree(classes, classNames, detailed, depth=0):
 
 if __name__ == "__main__":
     try:
-        main(parse_options())
+        main(*parse_options())
     except EasyBuildError, e:
         sys.stderr.write('ERROR: %s\n' % e.msg)
         sys.exit(1)

You've just moved the issue. Passing *parse_options() is fugly, but now I better see where it's coming from.

-        main(parse_options())
+        options, orig_paths, log, logfile, hn, parser = parse_options()
+        main(options, orig_paths, log, logfile, hn, parser)

Better like this? Same thing, way more variables, I like the *parse_options() 'hack' better.

This is cleaner. Not sure what the JIT will make of it though. Here, one can see that parse_options() returns a tuple, and you are not moving that under the hood into main. Everything is more explicit. YMMV.

OK, let's go for the latter then.