Not text based, it has buttons, widgets, can embed pictures and graphics.
>reliable, and familiar programs to accomplish
In emacs these bits of code are integrated, so I could, for example, save an IRC chat as buffer, edit it, and send a e-mail. Or open an interactive REPL of maxima, for example, copy result to latex having embedded previews for formulas, and then compile it to pdf (and preview in emacs).
Different parts could be combined in any possible way with elisp code. You can easily call any email-related or rfeed-related function from your code at any time.
Especially when all you just described can be done with regular copy-paste between dedicated programs if needed.
> The more you feel that you can control your environment, and that the things you do are actually working, the happier you are. When you find yourself frustrated, angry, and upset, it’s probably because of something that happened that you could not control: even something small.
https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2001/10/24/user-interface-des... is actually a great argument for Emacs (even though the only time Emacs is mentioned there is an example of inconsistencies in keyboards shortcuts with other editors).