after a bit more thought I dug around
The source code for maxwell is open source.
http://sourceforge.net/projects/maxwellwp/
I didn't have a play but it looks to need motif/lesstif someone could maybe tweak that one onto the pile of "best editors"
I think more and more that combo OS solution is not such a bad thing.
Launching debian from the Extensions menu is effortless and solid (if a bit noisy on the stdout) the overhead and initial management are a PITA but selecting a couple of solid applications would be decent interim solution while porting efforts ensue.
I tested a few likely candidates via the armels and could probably get much of this stuff into life natively if it was so required now I have had a chance to play around more with matchbox etc under debian.
Will attach some screeenies of a few apps that are low hanging fruit in action.
Cheers.