...and that's where Emacs starter kits come into the picture. Especially when compared to VS, Emacs based solutions always seem superior to me because they don't require me to use the mouse for every. little. effing. thing. I want to achieve.

That, and they are usually much more designed around a more UNIX-focused toolset than most IDEs, which means less interdependent blobs of cruft like Intellisense and the like.