text editors

[Russell Simmons]

as a newbie that hasn't even done an install yet, but has been reading,
reading, reading, i am very confused regarding the plethora of text
editors available...i realize that fans of vi or emacs etc., have waged
war over their preferences, but for a rank beginner, such as myself, the
process of choosing one is daunting...which editor is the most intuitive
and easiest to use, not necessarily the most powerful ?..

thanks for the help
russell.