diff --git a/IPython/lib/irunner.py b/IPython/lib/irunner.py
index 66386bc..8175168 100755
--- a/IPython/lib/irunner.py
+++ b/IPython/lib/irunner.py
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ simply run the module as a script:
 This is an extension of Ken Schutte <kschutte-AT-csail.mit.edu>'s script
 contributed on the ipython-user list:
 
-http://scipy.net/pipermail/ipython-user/2006-May/001705.html
+http://mail.scipy.org/pipermail/ipython-user/2006-May/003539.html
 
 
 NOTES:
@@ -410,7 +410,6 @@ def main():
 
     parser = optparse.OptionParser(usage=MAIN_USAGE)
     newopt = parser.add_option
-    parser.set_defaults(mode='ipython')
     newopt('--ipython',action='store_const',dest='mode',const='ipython',
            help='IPython interactive runner (default).')
     newopt('--python',action='store_const',dest='mode',const='python',
@@ -430,7 +429,9 @@ def main():
     modes = {'.ipy':'ipython',
              '.py':'python',
              '.sage':'sage'}
-    mode = modes.get(ext,opts.mode)
+    mode = modes.get(ext,"ipython")
+    if opts.mode:
+        mode = opts.mode
     runners[mode]().main(args)
 
 if __name__ == '__main__':
diff --git a/docs/man/irunner.1 b/docs/man/irunner.1
index 56353a1..2623d7c 100644
--- a/docs/man/irunner.1
+++ b/docs/man/irunner.1
@@ -10,6 +10,8 @@
 .SH DESCRIPTION
 irunner is an interface to the various interactive runners
 available in IPython's \fBirunner\fP module. 
+It can used to run scripts as if they where typed up
+interactively.
 .PP
 The already implemented runners are listed below; adding
 one for a new program is a trivial task, see the source
@@ -42,7 +44,7 @@ irunner.py \-\-ipython \-\- \-\-interact script.ipy
 .SH AUTHOR
 \fBirunner\fP is an extension of Ken Schutte <kschutte-AT-csail.mit.edu>'s
 script contributed on the ipython-user list:
-http://scipy.net/pipermail/ipython-user/2006-May/001705.html
+http://mail.scipy.org/pipermail/ipython-user/2006-May/003539.html
 .PP
 This manual page was written by Bernd Zeimetz <bernd@bzed.de>, for the Debian
 project (but may be used by others).  Modified by Fernando Perez