Don,
I'm in Leiden this week to make simulation fit for production. I'll see if I have the time to track this down. Anyway, I'm gonna file this right now.
Malte,
Simulation uses the display mode extensively. But then, it's Lars' product, just like the display mode. I think the alternative at this point is to write your own code for viewing an item (or parts of it), or write a general application for it. I don't know, tho, how a case like this (an element inside a form, that actually uses form widgets that are just disabled) could be easily solved without ad_form having the functionality.
About the performance: I doubt that it has any significant effects on performance, but this is just my hunch, it's not based on any real facts.
