3 ms·Vim was heavily based on vi, and vi was designed for limited terminal capacities.by wolverine876 3y agoVim was heavily based on vi, and vi was designed for limited terminal capacities.viraptor 3y agoAnd it's now been decades since vi itself, where things would've changed many times if that was the only reason that vi was modal.ilaksh 3y agoThings have changed, just not the paradigm that vim operates on.