1) Yes... but since the template is now loaded dynamically you can also then have many templates for a given page, which would allow for dynamic skinning.
2) It plug-ins are similar to ADDT MX Includes, but have a lot of advantages over standard includes. Plugins loads the plugged in page into an object, so that the head, body, or editable regions in the plugin page can than be placed individually where you need them. It updates file paths, and works with relative server paths so that the pages can be easily maintained with dreamweaver server behaviors. It is definitely a lot more than simply includes.
3) We appreciate the feedback
4) A framework would inlcude components... a framework builder allows you to build a framework and build your own components. We could potentially build modules as plugins and themes that would work with this framework builder concepts to create a full framework.