[development] pager_query() vs. theme('pager') argument handling

[Derek Wright]

i was testing a bugfix to the project module (removing
tablesort_pager() from the call to theme('pager')) and noticed that
the $limit and $element args for theme('pager') vs. the ones to
pager_query() are duplicated.  in IRC, steven (unconed) pointed me to:

 http://drupal.org/node/5371#comment-89191

if theme('pager') is smart enough to remember the query (which is why
y'all got rid of tablesort_pager() in the first place), why does
theme('pager') need to take these other args, either, since they're
also passed to pager_query()?  we definitely want these to match, or
else the prev/next and numbered links generated by theme('pager')
won't match the data being displayed.

i know this isn't 6.7 critical, but i'm trying to understand why these
args to theme('pager') are there at all.  seems like a recipe for
confusing bugs when the calls to pager_query() and theme('pager')
disagree on these args...

any other insights on this?

thanks,
-derek (dww)