diff --git a/Headers/AppKit/NSTabView.h b/Headers/AppKit/NSTabView.h
index 17b3fb7c8..793750c1e 100644
--- a/Headers/AppKit/NSTabView.h
+++ b/Headers/AppKit/NSTabView.h
@@ -54,7 +54,6 @@ typedef enum {
   BOOL _draws_background;
   BOOL _truncated_label;
   id _delegate;
-  NSUInteger _selected_item;
 }
 - (void)addTabViewItem:(NSTabViewItem *)tabViewItem;
 - (void)insertTabViewItem:(NSTabViewItem *)tabViewItem
diff --git a/Source/NSTabView.m b/Source/NSTabView.m
index 6f0c57e28..fb463af10 100644
--- a/Source/NSTabView.m
+++ b/Source/NSTabView.m
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@
 #import "GNUstepGUI/GSTheme.h"
 #import "GSBindingHelpers.h"
 
+
 @implementation NSTabView
 
 /*
@@ -70,8 +71,7 @@
       // setup variables  
       ASSIGN(_items, [NSMutableArray array]);
       ASSIGN(_font, [NSFont systemFontOfSize: 0]);
-      _selected_item = NSNotFound;
-      //_selected = nil;
+      _selected = nil;
       //_truncated_label = NO;
     }
 
@@ -103,15 +103,17 @@
 - (void) insertTabViewItem: (NSTabViewItem*)tabViewItem
                    atIndex: (NSInteger)index
 {
+  if (tabViewItem == nil)
+    return;
+  
   [tabViewItem _setTabView: self];
   [_items insertObject: tabViewItem atIndex: index];
+  
+  // If this is the first inserted then select it...
+  if ([_items count] == 1)
+    [self selectTabViewItem: tabViewItem];
 
-  if ((_selected_item != NSNotFound) && (index <= _selected_item))
-    {
-      _selected_item++;
-    }
-
-  if ([_delegate respondsToSelector: 
+  if ([_delegate respondsToSelector:
     @selector(tabViewDidChangeNumberOfTabViewItems:)])
     {
       [_delegate tabViewDidChangeNumberOfTabViewItems: self];
@@ -123,35 +125,33 @@
 
 - (void) removeTabViewItem: (NSTabViewItem*)tabViewItem
 {
-  NSUInteger i = [_items indexOfObject: tabViewItem];
+  NSUInteger i = [self indexOfTabViewItem: tabViewItem];
   
   if (i == NSNotFound)
     return;
 
-  if ([tabViewItem isEqual: _selected])
-    {
-      // We cannot call [self selectTabViewItem: nil] here as the delegate might refuse this
-      [[_selected view] removeFromSuperview];
-      _selected = nil;
-      _selected_item = NSNotFound;
-    }
-
+  // Do this BEFORE removing from array...in case it gets released...
+  [tabViewItem _setTabView:nil];
   [_items removeObjectAtIndex: i];
 
-  if ((_selected_item != NSNotFound) && (i <= _selected_item))
+  if (tabViewItem == _selected)
     {
-      _selected_item--;
+      if ([_items count] == 0)
+        {
+          [self selectTabViewItem: nil];
+        }
+      else
+        {
+          // Select a new tab index...
+          NSUInteger newIndex = ((i < [_items count]) ? i : (i-1));
+          [self selectTabViewItem: [_items objectAtIndex: newIndex]];
+        }
     }
-
-  if ([_delegate respondsToSelector: 
-    @selector(tabViewDidChangeNumberOfTabViewItems:)])
+  
+  if ([_delegate respondsToSelector: @selector(tabViewDidChangeNumberOfTabViewItems:)])
     {
       [_delegate tabViewDidChangeNumberOfTabViewItems: self];
     }
-
-  /* TODO (Optimize) - just mark the tabs rect as needing redisplay unless
-                       removed tab was selected */
-  [self setNeedsDisplay: YES];
 }
 
 - (NSInteger) indexOfTabViewItem: (NSTabViewItem*)tabViewItem
@@ -202,43 +202,43 @@
 
 - (void) selectNextTabViewItem: (id)sender
 {
-  if ((_selected_item != NSNotFound) && ((_selected_item + 1) < [_items count]))
+  NSUInteger selected_item = [self indexOfTabViewItem:_selected];
+  if (selected_item != NSNotFound)
     {
-      [self selectTabViewItemAtIndex: _selected_item + 1];
+      [self selectTabViewItemAtIndex: selected_item + 1];
     }
 }
 
 - (void) selectPreviousTabViewItem: (id)sender
 {
-  if ((_selected_item != NSNotFound) && (_selected_item > 0))
+  NSUInteger selected_item = [self indexOfTabViewItem:_selected];
+  if (selected_item != NSNotFound)
     {
-      [self selectTabViewItemAtIndex: _selected_item - 1];
+      [self selectTabViewItemAtIndex: selected_item - 1];
     }
 }
 
 - (NSTabViewItem*) selectedTabViewItem
 {
-  // FIXME: Why not just return _selected?
-  if (_selected_item == NSNotFound || [_items count] == 0)
-    return nil;
-  return [_items objectAtIndex: _selected_item];
+  return _selected;
 }
 
 - (void) selectTabViewItem: (NSTabViewItem*)tabViewItem
 {
   BOOL canSelect = YES;
 
-  if ([_delegate respondsToSelector: 
-    @selector(tabView: shouldSelectTabViewItem:)])
+  if ([_delegate respondsToSelector: @selector(tabView: shouldSelectTabViewItem:)])
     {
-      canSelect = [_delegate tabView: self
-                shouldSelectTabViewItem: tabViewItem];
+      canSelect = [_delegate tabView: self shouldSelectTabViewItem: tabViewItem];
     }
-
+  
   if (canSelect)
     {
-      NSView *selectedView;
-
+      if ([_delegate respondsToSelector: @selector(tabView: willSelectTabViewItem:)])
+        {
+          [_delegate tabView: self willSelectTabViewItem: tabViewItem];
+        }
+      
       if (_selected != nil)
         {
           [_selected _setTabState: NSBackgroundTab];
@@ -246,34 +246,34 @@
           /* NB: If [_selected view] is nil this does nothing, which
              is fine.  */
           [[_selected view] removeFromSuperview];
+          _selected = nil;
         }
 
-      if ([_delegate respondsToSelector: 
-        @selector(tabView: willSelectTabViewItem:)])
+      if (tabViewItem)
         {
-          [_delegate tabView: self willSelectTabViewItem: tabViewItem];
-        }
+          _selected = tabViewItem;
+          [_selected _setTabState: NSSelectedTab];
 
-      _selected = tabViewItem;
-      _selected_item = [_items indexOfObject: _selected];
-      [_selected _setTabState: NSSelectedTab];
+          NSView *selectedView = [_selected view];
 
-      selectedView = [_selected view];
-
-      if (selectedView != nil)
-        {
-          [self addSubview: selectedView];
-          // FIXME: We should not change this mask
-          [selectedView setAutoresizingMask: NSViewWidthSizable | NSViewHeightSizable];
-          [selectedView setFrame: [self contentRect]];
-          [_window makeFirstResponder: [_selected initialFirstResponder]];
+          if (selectedView == nil)
+            {
+              NSLog(@"%s:selected view is NIL\n", __PRETTY_FUNCTION__);
+            }
+          else
+            {
+              [self addSubview: selectedView];
+              // FIXME: We should not change this mask
+              [selectedView setAutoresizingMask: NSViewWidthSizable | NSViewHeightSizable];
+              [selectedView setFrame: [self contentRect]];
+              [_window makeFirstResponder: [_selected initialFirstResponder]];
+            }
         }
       
       /* Will need to redraw tabs and content area. */
       [self setNeedsDisplay: YES];
       
-      if ([_delegate respondsToSelector: 
-        @selector(tabView: didSelectTabViewItem:)])
+      if ([_delegate respondsToSelector: @selector(tabView: didSelectTabViewItem:)])
         {
           [_delegate tabView: self didSelectTabViewItem: _selected];
         }
@@ -486,12 +486,10 @@
   
   if (anItem != nil  &&  ![anItem isEqual: _selected])
     {
-      GSKeyValueBinding *theBinding;
-
       [self selectTabViewItem: anItem];
 
-      theBinding = [GSKeyValueBinding getBinding: NSSelectedIndexBinding 
-                                       forObject: self];
+      GSKeyValueBinding *theBinding = [GSKeyValueBinding getBinding: NSSelectedIndexBinding
+                                                          forObject: self];
       if (theBinding != nil)
         [theBinding reverseSetValueFor: NSSelectedIndexBinding];
     }
@@ -544,13 +542,14 @@
     }
   else
     {
+      NSUInteger selected_item = [self indexOfTabViewItem:_selected];
       [aCoder encodeObject: _items];
       [aCoder encodeObject: _font];
       [aCoder encodeValueOfObjCType: @encode(int) at: &_type];
       [aCoder encodeValueOfObjCType: @encode(BOOL) at: &_draws_background];
       [aCoder encodeValueOfObjCType: @encode(BOOL) at: &_truncated_label];
       [aCoder encodeConditionalObject: _delegate];
-      [aCoder encodeValueOfObjCType: @encode(NSUInteger) at: &_selected_item];
+      [aCoder encodeValueOfObjCType: @encode(NSUInteger) at: &selected_item];
     }
 }
 
@@ -558,8 +557,6 @@
 {
   self = [super initWithCoder: aDecoder];
 
-  _selected_item = NSNotFound;
-
   if ([aDecoder allowsKeyedCoding])
     {
       if ([aDecoder containsValueForKey: @"NSAllowTruncatedLabels"])
@@ -633,17 +630,21 @@
       [aDecoder decodeValueOfObjCType: @encode(BOOL) at: &_draws_background];
       [aDecoder decodeValueOfObjCType: @encode(BOOL) at: &_truncated_label];
       _delegate = [aDecoder decodeObject];
+      
+      NSUInteger selected_item = NSNotFound;
       if (version < 3)
         {
-	  int tmp;
+          int tmp;
           [aDecoder decodeValueOfObjCType: @encode(int) at: &tmp];
-          _selected_item = tmp;
-	}
+          selected_item = tmp;
+        }
       else
-	{
-          [aDecoder decodeValueOfObjCType: @encode(NSUInteger) at: &_selected_item];
-	}
-      _selected = [_items objectAtIndex: _selected_item];
+      {
+        [aDecoder decodeValueOfObjCType: @encode(NSUInteger) at: &selected_item];
+      }
+      
+      if (selected_item != NSNotFound)
+        _selected = [_items objectAtIndex: selected_item];
     }
   return self;
 }