Different background can be useful if you are editing different kind of files, e.g. HTML files and source files. Color will be used to indicate type of file.
Itās IMHO quite usefull since Sublime has built-in support for different layouts with a lot of files inside panel.
Picture as a background is a nice feature but I agree with you that it can be basis for discussion 
Plugin with an UI is a platform to create more robust addons with better control of user interaction and without need to use very basic set of sublime UI controls.
For example if you are editing CSS file that plugin can display changes in graphically, just inside Sublime window (compare this with Stylizer http://www.skybound.ca).
It can be used to display any kind of data in simpy way, without using hard to understand DirectX interface. Just simple HTML file, with events (click, change, etc) connected to functions.
Consider the following example (itās a prototype):
Python code:
class SampleUICommand(sublimeplugin.UICommand):
def run(self, view, args):
context = {'header' : 'Form header'}
return sublimeplugin.UICommand.show(self, 'sample.html', context) or
return sublimeplugin.UICommand.dock(self, 1, 'sample.html', context) # 1 is a number of pane
@action('save_btn', 'click')
def submit(self):
form = self.forms.get('simple_form', {})
fname = form.get('fname')
lname = form.get('lname')
sublime.messageBox(' '.join('Test on', fname, lname]))
and corresponding HTML:
<html>
<head>
<link type="text/css" href="style.css" />
</head>
<body>
<h2>${context.get('header')}</h2>
<form action="#" id="simple_form">
<label>Input first name:</label>
<input type="text" name="fname"></input>
<label>Input last name:</label>
<input type="text" name="lname"></input>
<input type="submit" id="save_btn"></input>
</form>
<script type="text/javascript" src="jquery.js" />
<script type="text/javascript" src="script.js" />
</body>
</html>
I agree with because Iām KISS maniac
I was Scite happy user (before I bought Sublime of course ). This is a very nice and very simple editor. Butā¦
Its simplicity is a problem because Sciteās architecture is as simple as itself and doesnāt allow the programmer (Scite is provided with full source code) to do more than add another command as a external program with arguments. Sublime is much better but ā¦ doesnāt allow us (programmers) to do more than use small subset of built-in functions
Stability is a good point to discussion but there are lot of applications with a HTML user interface (Firefox, IE, Outlook, Stylizer, etcā¦) without big problems with stability (except IE ).
Each of above are big and robust and terribly slow IDE.
I would like to add ability to define UI for plugins. HTML is one of that concept (and because of I have experience with that type of user interface in desktop applications ).
cheers
Artur
