What are the requirements from a multi-row tab control in order that users will be able to intuitively tell which tab is active?

In the implementation in Visual Studio 2010's "Tab Well" (a feature of the "Power Tools" extension), pinned tabs can be multi-row, non pinned tabs are in one scrolling row.

In Firefox's "Tab Mix Pro" tabs can be multi-rowed.

In "Tab Mix Pro" I can always easily and quickly tell which is the active tab.

In "Tab Well" it can take me a while to figure this out.


What are the things that should and shouldn't be done in multi-row tabs?


If you intend on answering this, please don't automatically assume that multi-row tabs are bad - keep an open mind.

Examples:


Firefox's TMP

Here supported sites have there own icon and selected tab is emphasized, new tabs have red text. Tabs do not have a border that continues from header.

enter image description here
Firefox's TMP - with tab selected on top row

enter image description here Firefox's TMP - with tab selected on bottom row


VS's Tab Well

Here each project has its own color and selected tab is slightly emphasized. Selected tab has a border that connects to the header (assuming header is bottom row - I find this confusing if selected tab isn't on bottom row).

enter image description here VS's Tab Well - with a red tab selected on bottom row

enter image description here VS's Tab Well - with a green tab selected on bottom row

enter image description here VS's Tab Well - with a pinkish tab selected on middle row

enter image description here VS's Tab Well - with a green tab selected on top row


An old settings dialog

This is from Word 6. I think I remember seeing this in Win95 settings too.
Here the tabs rows swapped if you click on the top row. Which was confusing, because if you click on were the previous tab was to go back, it was no longer there. (Thanks to Andre for the reference.)

enter image description here

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