> at the very least it isn't a modal editor which is a really outdated paradigm which also doesn't make any sense when most of what you do with a text editor is typing in text

Hum... As an emacs user, I'm quite comfortable to disagree here.

When in an editor, you want to both type text and run code. Vi only messes up on the emphasis for both cases (due to the legacy of descending from ed), but even emacs has a "run code" mode.

I've been perfectly happy with vim binds using both dvorak and workman layouts. Sticking with it from the start when you're slowly relearning to type at all makes it feel normal in a week or two at most. The only meaningful change is hjkl since it's positional in qwerty. The other stuff was all over and based on mnemonics like d for delete. If you can get used to C-n, C-p, C-f, and C-b for emacs movement, hjkl shifting around is not at all harder. There's also the fact that in many cases you probably move around with something like e or w or the search rather than smaller hjkl movements.

Modal editing has ergonomic benefits similar to Sticky Keys, I don't see anything dated about it.

I'm not sure I agree writing is done the most either. Moving around is probably pretty high up there. It does depend on the file of course, but for config files or [video] playlist files you probably do more small edits and movements than writing of pure text. Writing email would be the other extreme.