In other words, use the text editor that gives you the most power for the least amount of pain.
This would tend to preclude editors that require gymastics like the EmacsFamily, which requires the use of extensive CTRL and META/ALT key usage to accomplish tasks.
The Brief command set was good in this respect, the easiest keys - fn keys, keypad -, Ins key etc being allocated to the commonest functions
MinEd optimizes the right (numeric) keypad to provide the most frequent functions of navigation and copy/paste at one hand without repositioning; a central "HOP" key is used to double the number of easily reachable functions.
I wonder if modal editors, such as ViFamily might have an edge or if a text editor that emphasizes function keys and/or use of the mouse might not be more comfortable in the long run.
Clearly, avoiding retyping would be very nice.
It might also make a lot of sense to switch to a DvorakKeyboard instead of using Querty.
WordStar got points from the latter, as all WordStar commands were mapped to Ctrl-key combinations, and a touch typist could do everything without ever shifting their hands from the "home row" on their keyboard.
o However, permanent use of the Control key is not too convenient for the hand, either. --arcor-ip.net
In the days when WordStar grew popular, the Ctrl key was where the Caps Lock key tends to be on current PC keyboards. The first thing I do on a Linux system is use Xmodmap to make Caps Lock another Ctrl key. :-) --DMcCunney
For that matter, there were screams of anguish back in the days when keyboards changed from ten Fkeys in two vertical rows on the left side to a single row of twelve across the top for the same reason. People using Fkey driven applications like WordPerfect could hit fkeys with the little finger of their left hand and not have to venture off the home row.
And a lot of folks still gripe about the change that swapped the position of the Ctrl Key and the Caps Lock key, and an assortment of utilities exit to remap the keyboard to fix that.
Of course, go back far enough, and you get a generation of typists trained on the IBM Selectric typewriter, who never forgave the PC designers for not adopting the Selectric keyboard layout.
Mice, arrow keys, and function keys have uses, but all require that you move one hand off the keyboard, and slow down your typing speed. How much that matters will depend on what you are doing, but it will matter. --DMcCunney
Hit the left Ctrl Key with your palm as in a karate chop.
As the right pinky takes a lot of abuse: bind the right Alt Key to Backspace and hit it with your thumb. If you hit enter a lot, you could bind the right Ctrl Key to Return and hit it with your right palm as in a karate chop.