[slightwinder]

> but Emacs is easier to program and extend.

That is only true for the low level tasks out of the box. Adding a simple command is very easy. But doing something more complex can be very painful in emacs.

VS Code on the other side is out of the box focusing on flawless experience and supports hacking only through hidden paths. Though, install a simple extension and it's as simple as emacs. While having still a better experience on more complex tasks.

> VS Code is like the Java of text editors. It relies on a universally understood and accepted model of editing text (non-modal, leveraging the mouse heavily)

This again is just the out of the box-experience. Modal editing is possible, though it's true that there is still place for improvments. Which is ok for an editor which is just 5+ years old. The project seems to play a strategy there it unfolds from a safe corridor of stability and adding more and more abilitys, instead of starting from open chaos and trying to control it.