plt[:show](), display(), or whatever is a minor nuisance so if it's the developers' wishes that it is so then so be it. I would feature it prominently in the documentation of the various plotting packages though.
plot() - Create a plot object in the background which can be later displayed with display() A note about the differences between environments would also be important. The coding environment will also effect the usage of plot(). In the REPL or using Atom/Juno plot() creates a plot in the background whereas IJulia immediately displays the results inline. If an environment is not displaying a plot as expected try using display() or checking the defaults of the plotting package. Chris' suggestion about putting something in "Noteworthy Differences from Other Languages" is good too. Tom, in what way am I forcing my perspective? Some portion of the Julia community will see it this way so it's important to take it into consideration.