>>> Is there a way to turn off all this 'help'?
I think that tabs are typically part of the modern MDI. Many applications have tabs, Excel, CodeWarrior 10+, Code Composer, Eclipse, Beyond Compare, Boxer, Firefox, etc. So, I don't think that tabs are really considered as some sort of special editing help by SE but rather inherent in MDI. That's not to say that applications can't be designed\written not to include tabs. Surely, that is possible.