I've been using XEmacs regularly for more than a decade, but a few months ago I came across jEdit and I absolutely love it! It has almost all the features of XEmacs but with a more modern GUI. The macro language (BeanShell) is also a lot easier to learn if you have a Java background. Regarding your comment about lack of support for mode-specific keyboard shortcuts, check out the "Shortcut Saver" plug-in.
keyboard shortcuts on a per-mode basis
I've been using XEmacs regularly for more than a decade, but a few months ago I came across jEdit and I absolutely love it! It has almost all the features of XEmacs but with a more modern GUI. The macro language (BeanShell) is also a lot easier to learn if you have a Java background. Regarding your comment about lack of support for mode-specific keyboard shortcuts, check out the "Shortcut Saver" plug-in.