"But the true mystery of Emacs comes from the question:
Is it the best editor or not?!?! In my personal journey in search
of an answer to this question, over two years now, I have gone back
and forth, bouncing between two utterly opposite ends of the
spectrum, with respect to this question. Emacs is so powerful that
it must be the best editor. Emacs is so arcane that it must be pure
evil. When I feel down on Emacs, I look at vi. vi is a seductress.
In its simplicity it is a nude, virginal beauty that seems to
acknowledge that I alone exist in all the world, and it alone
exists to serve my modal desires. And then suddenly I feel dirty
and realize that I may be consorting with the world's most evil
application, at least with respect to home row key command
configurations.
"How many times have I typed "ctrl-x ctrl-f .emacs" and then
gazed at my configuration file, trying to figure out what it all
means?!? Verily, in using the editor, I am astounded at its speed
and cleanness one minute, and frustrated by its crappy fonts and
inability to automatically handle word wrap the next. I am enticed
by the prospect of playing a game of chess with my text editor one
minute, and frightened by the potential mix of Major and Minor
Modes the next. I fall in love with the Command Chords, then I
worry that if my Control or Meta key breaks, all will be lost,
forever."