I don't think you are "missing" anything. It is just a way of working with minimal overhead/setup and yet full-featured tools. For example, for my work environ

I don't think you are "missing" anything. It is just a way of working with minimal overhead/setup and yet full-featured tools. For example, for my work environment i have standardized on GNU Screen + dvtm + vim (few plugins) + cscope + ctags; thats it. Depending upon available hardware and need, i may add more tools but the above is what i try to carry everywhere.