It's beautiful and why there's not all that many Emacs users... it requires a commitment, at the very least.

> it requires a commitment

What serious tool doesn't?

Now re-reading it, that entire paragraph sounds like high-horse highfalutin. I should've used a simpler tone. Emacs is not that sophisticated; it's not "a lifetime achievement" to brag about - it's a tool. Tools need mostly two things: care and use. But the choice for doing either ultimately belongs to the one who chooses to use a tool. Use whatever tools, programming languages, distros, techniques make you happy. I like mine. I'm just happy to share that feeling with people. I'm not saying my choices could make someone else happy, but they made me. I just wish I had listened sooner to someone passionate and persuasive who could tell me about how some choices can make you happier.