I just realized that `apt install emacs-nox` is a great editor in containers and VMs. I just have to disable it every damn time (for regular and root user). Defaults would be better.
I don't mean to be condescending, but since you just learned about emacs-nox... If you haven't already, try tramp mode to edit files in containers and VMs. It also lets you edit local files using sudo.
There's also a docker package for managing containers - similar concept and UI to magit, but for managing Docker. Not as life changing as magit, but convenient.
Anyway, the problem with changing the default after all this time is that everybody would want the new default to be different, and changing it now would meaning breaking things for long time users who depend on the current default. And TBH if you're setting up a container and installing Emacs, it's very little extra work to copy over a .emacs file that fixes everything the way you like.
But it's easy to disable or have them created somewhere else, which is more than you can say for most software lately.