> To those familiar with Emacs development - is there a tendency to modernise the UI and generally make it an easier out-of-box experience?

The UI feels pretty modern to me; it's when I use every other app that I feel crippled. That's not hyperbole, but fact.

It'd be wonderful if Firefox gave me the full set of emacs keybindings (not just a few) and a decent language to extend it.

It'd be wonderful if desktop environments let me converse with the computer via my keyboard, rather than pointing and grunting like an infant.