I see an awful lot of posts like OP here where they're for some reason thinking that using a specific distro, or even DE, locks them into using specific packages.
You can literally install anything on any Linux distro. Some things might take a bit of work, sure, but they're all just a Linux system underneath.
Install the right dependencies, get the app somehow (through a package manager, or source),put the files in the right place, and bobs your uncle.
You have always been able to mix and match apps from a different desktop.
Vim and emacs are awesome.
Package formats have never ever been compatible, not even all distros that use the same format are compatible in fact. For open source software this is less of an issue than it seems basically the production of a package is 1/100000 of the effort required to produce the program itself and can even be done by individuals far less skilled than the original dev.
This means with only a relatively tiny additional input of labor a program can be packaged for all the most common distros.
I don't prefer unity but I think you bazaarly overstate the case.