For syntax highlighting I tend to use VIM (VI iMproved). It comes with most distributions of Linux and handles many languages avilable today. If you are using XWindows then I would suggest trying XEmacs. It is a very easy editor to get used to for a Microsoft/Mac user. Regular Emacs (command line/terminal based) is beyond my comprehension, which is why I use VIM for text only work. For HTML work I just use a text editor. I have to wisdom for WYSIWYG editors and HTML.