Xemacs certainly doesnt need X. It used to be called Lucid Emacs (no reference to X). The version in the Debian debs is compliled with X support so if you launch it in X it will run as an X app but if you start it in a real console it will run fine or in an Xterminal do Xemacs -nw and it will stay as a console app.
Infact that is how I use it to read my mail on my work PC from hoem over dialin as the X version of Xemacs takes too long to load up over a modem line. Pat
