Pen behavior and auto close

Question

Maybe i'm missing something, but a behavior that really confuses me in Illustrator is that when I'm using the pen tool and click close to an path point below (even if it's not selected) , the new line JOINS the point.
I think it'd be much better if the line would SNAPS to the previously existed point (if not selected) and joins it only if selected-a behavior similar to Freehand or Intaglio.
It becomes annoying when I'm drawing with open lines-see example,
http://web.mac.com/jzarracina/iWeb/Javier%20zarracina%20Web/WIP_files/slideshow.html?slide Index=9
closing lines that i don't want etc- or I have a complex drawing, forcing me to lock or use many layers.
Also i'd like to have the option to automatically close an open path

Answer 1

Observing the autojoin icon and/or adjusting snap distance does nothing to address the feature request, which is for the long overdue ability to TURN THE BEHAVIOR OFF.
To prevent autojoining while drawing with the Pen, the "shortcut" is to mousedown somewhere that you
don't want the point to be, press the spacebar, and then drag to where you
do want the point to be. (Obviously, the term "shortcut" is used loosely here.)
This behavior being the default is upside-down. The absense of any provision to turn it off is worse.
JET