From the article:

> I have a dual monitor set up at my desk. One of them is in portrait mode with Emacs full screened all day long. The other one has web browsers for researching and reading; it usually has a terminal open as well. I keep my calendar, email, etc., on another desktop in OS X, which is hidden while I'm in Emacs, and I keep all notifications turned off.

You don't need emacs to do this. Fullscreen a JetBrains IDE and install the Org4Idea plugin.

I beat the JetBrains drum a lot, but emacs/vi users don't realize how much functionality is integrated and keyboard-driven in their products - and, importantly, it's built-in (no plugins) and sanely pre-configured. "I thought only emacs could do this" was my reaction when I switched.

OP here. There are lots of great tools for editing text and code out there. Finger travel was a concern due to some RSI issues I was having, but not the most important factor which is that I like Emacs and enjoy using it. I like it's sensibilities, Lisp, and the cleanness of the interface. YMMV, and I'm not at all an Emacs partisan or evangelist, just a guy who made a blog post about stuff I like.

Doesn't Jetbrains require Java? And, isn't Evernote a web service we don't know the ultimate fate of yet? I am just barely competent using Vim, and I am in the process of learning Lisp before I explore Emacs as an option. I just don't think the services you purpose as substitutes really fit the bill; they are simpler to use, especially at the beginning, but long-term I don't think they are replacements.

> Doesn't Jetbrains require Java?

It's 2015. That's a concern for practically nobody.