1. Make finding Python help docs more robust, including the installed

   configuation.
2. Make sure that os.startfile() is used to open both Python help docs
   and Extra Help docs on the Windows platforms.

Lib/idlelib/EditorWindow.py

@@ -43,8 +43,26 @@ class EditorWindow:
     from MultiStatusBar import MultiStatusBar
 
     vars = {}
+    help_url = None
 
     def __init__(self, flist=None, filename=None, key=None, root=None):
+        if EditorWindow.help_url is None:
+            if sys.platform.count('linux'):
+                # look for html docs in a couple of standard places
+                pyver = 'python-docs-' + '%s.%s.%s' % sys.version_info[:3]
+                if os.path.isdir('/var/www/html/python/'):  # "python2" rpm
+                    dochome = '/var/www/html/python/index.html'
+                else:
+                    basepath = '/usr/share/doc/'  # standard location
+                    dochome = os.path.join(basepath, pyver,
+                                           'Doc', 'index.html')
+            else:
+                dochome =  os.path.join(sys.prefix, 'Doc', 'index.html')
+            dochome = os.path.normpath(dochome)
+            if os.path.isfile(dochome):
+                EditorWindow.help_url = dochome
+            else:
+                EditorWindow.help_url = "http://www.python.org/doc/current"
         currentTheme=idleConf.CurrentTheme()
         self.flist = flist
         root = root or flist.root
@@ -285,28 +303,20 @@ class EditorWindow:
         fn=os.path.join(os.path.abspath(os.path.dirname(__file__)),'help.txt')
         textView.TextViewer(self.top,'Help',fn)
 
-    help_url = "http://www.python.org/doc/current/"
-    if sys.platform[:3] == "win":
-        fn = os.path.dirname(__file__)
-        fn = os.path.join(fn, os.pardir, os.pardir, "pythlp.chm")
-        fn = os.path.normpath(fn)
-        if os.path.isfile(fn):
-            help_url = fn
-        else:
-            fn = os.path.dirname(__file__)
-            fn = os.path.join(fn, os.pardir, os.pardir, "Doc", "index.html")
-            fn = os.path.normpath(fn)
-            if os.path.isfile(fn):
-                help_url = fn
-        del fn
-        def python_docs(self, event=None):
+    def python_docs(self, event=None):
+        if sys.platform.count('win') or sys.platform.count('nt'):
             os.startfile(self.help_url)
-    else:
-        def python_docs(self, event=None):
-            self.display_docs(self.help_url)
+            return "break"
+        else:
+            webbrowser.open(self.help_url)
+            return "break"
 
     def display_docs(self, url):
-        webbrowser.open(url)
+        url = os.path.normpath(url)
+        if sys.platform.count('win') or sys.platform.count('nt'):
+            os.startfile(url)
+        else:
+            webbrowser.open(url)
 
     def cut(self,event):
         self.text.event_generate("<<Cut>>")