That's just...what? It's highly usable without plugins. Yes, I use plugins...but that's by choice. Obsidian is still a superior Markdown editor with backlink support, plugins or not.

I think you and your fellow commenters are missing the point. The degree to which Obsidian is "a superior Markdown editor with backlink support" can be debated. What I'm saying is that actual usability, in this context, is not a matter of opinion -- see ISO 9241-210, ISO/IEC 25010, etc.. Having said that, I'm glad you're happy.