The main reason I prefer to work in a text editor, is it limits the number of tools I have to learn to use.
When I used to work as a 3D designer, I became an expert at Cinema 4D. But there were times I had to switch to another application due to the limits of C4D, and I would become lost in the UI of Maya or Max, unable to perform the simplest of actions without the assistance of Google.
My preferred text editor is Emacs, and I rarely need to use another application other than Firefox. With my text editor I can code, write markup, keep a calendar and todo list, open a shell, chat on IRC.
In a WYSIWYG world, you have a dozen different applications to perform a dozen different tasks, and each requiring an in depth knowledge of that application. Yet in reality, each application is simply editing plain text.
Your argument seems to be that switching between WYSIWYG applications can be confusing whereas not switching between text based tools is not. Presumably if you were continually switching between multiple text-based editors, each with their own abstruse command key combinations, you would find that even more difficult than switching between graphical tools.
Switching between WYSIWYG applications is confusing and it would be if I was switching between multiple text editors as well. It would be a nightmare if I had to use Vim to code, Emacs for my calendar and Sublime for markdown.
I don't have to though, as I can do pretty much everything I want from a single text editor. Yes, there are different 'modes' to master, but most of the underlying commands are shared between modes so the learning curve is shallower.
When I used to work as a 3D designer, I became an expert at Cinema 4D. But there were times I had to switch to another application due to the limits of C4D, and I would become lost in the UI of Maya or Max, unable to perform the simplest of actions without the assistance of Google.
My preferred text editor is Emacs, and I rarely need to use another application other than Firefox. With my text editor I can code, write markup, keep a calendar and todo list, open a shell, chat on IRC.
In a WYSIWYG world, you have a dozen different applications to perform a dozen different tasks, and each requiring an in depth knowledge of that application. Yet in reality, each application is simply editing plain text.