> In Emacs, of course (Learning to swim directly in the white waters, why not?)

Does Emacs have a reputation of being difficult to use? I remember that in the late 70s and early 80s MIT's CS and AI labs were proud that the (not specifically trained) secretaries used Emacs and wrote macros for it.

It's been decades since I was a novice user so I don't remember the experience, but was the first editor I'd ever used, and, years later, the first editor my (arts major) wife ever used, and I don't remember any particular anxieties or consternation from either of us.