The fact that it is a pseudo-free piece of software is one of the biggest reasons for its success
I think the demise (in terms of active development) of TextMate should not be understated as a factor in ST's success. At the time Sublime Text 2 came out, a lot of TextMate users were frustrated with the lack of progress on TextMate and hopped on the ST bandwagon.
Ironically, ST had the same fate for a while. But it's good to see that there is some movement again.
I think the demise (in terms of active development) of TextMate should not be understated as a factor in ST's success. At the time Sublime Text 2 came out, a lot of TextMate users were frustrated with the lack of progress on TextMate and hopped on the ST bandwagon.
Ironically, ST had the same fate for a while. But it's good to see that there is some movement again.