>>>>> "Michael" == Michael Kay <mike@xxxxxxxxxxxx> writes:

    Michael> Yes, I think it often makes sense to make environment
    Michael> variables accessible as system properties.

    Michael> I'd suggest implementations should provide a command line
    Michael> option "make environment variables available as system
    Michael> properties in namespace X" to give users the best chance
    Michael> of writing portable code,

In that case an exslt namespace would be the most portable.
E.g.

http://exslt.org/environment-variables

-- 
Colin Paul Adams
Preston Lancashire