Columns AND background

[Giuseppe Bilotta <bourbaki@bigfoot.com>]

Hello,

I would like to be able to obtain balanced columns with a gray
background.

If I use the background option in the startcolumns command I do
get a background for each column, but there is an annoying (for
me) gray space in the space left between the column. Even setting
distance=0pt doesn't help here. (BTW, there is an error in
TeXShow, because option=background and option=none|empty are
listed separately)

If OTOH I use startcolumns inside a vbox inside a framed, columns
don't get balanced, even if I set balance=yes. I noticed that the
vbox is enough to cancel the balancing. But it's needed if I must
use the framed.

Any ideas?

--
Giuseppe "Oblomov" Bilotta