TextMate takes some good ideas in Emacs and improves them (from the user's perspective), like pressing Option to start a rectangular selection so you can see the selection as you make it.
Emacs is far more consistent in that basically everything is a command invoked either by keyboard shortcut or M-x, but in this case I think it hurts usability. It seems modes of any kind are not Emacs' thing, even tiny ones like rectangle selection. It could be though and that is a great strength. If someone wants it enough they can write it.
First of all, why would you assume that by "usability" I mean "being able to understand and completely master at the first sight"?;
Let me tell you why, because __some__ users of Emacs think that by learning to use some bloated piece of junk software will make them special, that by learning to use Emacs they somehow demonstrate their intellectual superiority among their mates. So you're inferring that people who don't like Emacs or prefer other editors are somehow intellectually inferior to those who learn it and use it.
Well, that is not the case. In fact, if you can achieve exactly the same thing with a simpler, easier to use tool and you're still using the bloated one, it's you who is mentally retarded, not those who use the other tool.
So just to conclude, just spare me and others of this bullshit.
And also please note that I know what usability is, and when I wrote my previous comment I was thinking about very precise Emacs issues which I don't have time and I also don't want to discuss. But that's just the way I feel about Emacs. You might very well use and love it but please don't try to sell me your bullshit.
Emacs is far more consistent in that basically everything is a command invoked either by keyboard shortcut or M-x, but in this case I think it hurts usability. It seems modes of any kind are not Emacs' thing, even tiny ones like rectangle selection. It could be though and that is a great strength. If someone wants it enough they can write it.