From postlist $what would be either "flat" or "threaded" then the links are to show$what.php so it'll link to either showflat or showthreaded. The admin area, sometimes $what will indicate the function being performed, or the tab that you were on. In manageoptions.... it doesn't appear to have any purpose at all. LOL Maybe it was copied from other admin files where it's used? But I can't see any of the scripts after that using it.
