>>185
I've never tried UltraEdit, but I know it's not free, it's not available on anything except windows, and even on windows, very few people have even heard of it (nobody I know).
On the other hand, vim and emacs are practically on every installation of *nix, they are free and they are more powerful than any other editor in *nix. I agree that some of their aspects could use updating, but this doesn't illegitimize their use.
So for people who use *nix, yes, there is a purpose for vim and emacs other than, how did you put it, Geek Wank? Believe it or not, there are many real companies that consist of 90% emacs or 90% vim users.
Maybe the people you see everyday are idiots, but there are people who use emacs or vim just because it's the best they have to work with, not because they want to show off. Why is that so hard for you to accept?