> While emacs is a terrific editor ... it is not easy to use.
I would suggest it is easy to use, mainly because it can be customised pretty heavily to work your way, it just isn't easy to learn which is why I've stuck with other options.
Emacs is mostly just unfamiliar. It's also a little bit opinionated, and out of the box its opinions have a little bit of distance from most GUI editors.
It's not actually hard to learn. I reckon vi is harder to learn, but at least with vi you know you have to do things differently. Emacs is much closer to other common editors, just a little bit different, and that can make it surprisingly frustrating, with the emphasis on surprise.
I would suggest it is easy to use, mainly because it can be customised pretty heavily to work your way, it just isn't easy to learn which is why I've stuck with other options.