Image output in sololearn

Question

https://sololearn.com/compiler-playground/cW3daq5eP536/?ref=app

Why does open('.png', 'w') cause the output to display as html / an image?

Answer 1

Asinc when Sololearn wanted to add the Data Science course they needed a way to display the graphs. So they built a little kluge that switches on HTML display mode whenever the session creates a .png file.

It's a fun little hack that you can play with, but it works only on Sololearn. Several people, including myself, have used it to do surprising things. For instance, I was first to discover that you can display an animated GIF by naming the GIF file with the .png extension. Others have created interactive web pages that let you play games even though the initial batch run of the Python program has exited. The feature has opened the door of many possibilities. I wish Sololearn would enable the feature for the other console languages, too!

Answer 2

Asinc, kluge is an old term that connotes hacking things together to make a feature that wasn't elegantly designed. Here is the entry in the Hacker's Dictionary for your enjoyment:
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/3008/3008-h/3008-h.htm#kluge

Answer 3

Thank you Brian. What is a kluge?