I think there's more to it than just mouse vs keyboard. The keyboard-centric power interfaces like Emacs, Vim and those tiling window managers have non-intuitive shortcuts and combining sequences that really make things go fast. Compare using a keyboard with Emacs to using a keyboard with Notepad.
The same thing for those mouse-centric applications. Linux window managers have a "shortcut" of holding a modifier combination and dragging anywhere within a window to move it, or dragging the nearest corner to resize it. This makes arranging floating windows fast and fun compared to Apple's more intuitive requirement of having to drag the titlebar, or that tiny little handle at the bottom right of the window.
Some of the mouse-centric visual programming environments you mention, particularly the ones that have many years of use behind them, also contain shortcuts. Autodesk's Flame compositing environment for instance, traditionally driven via a pen and tablet, has a whole bunch of shortcuts to drive the interface without touching the keyboard. You can connect dataflow nodes by "kissing" for instance - dragging them close to each other, allowing you to connect many nodes with a single movement.
For many people, it's the mastery of these shortcuts - keyboard, mouse, pen or touch - that gives them a sense of pleasure and power when they use that piece of software.