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Pretty much all of them can do this.

Set up your init system to not start a GUI. It will give you a text mode login prompt. Configure it to have the typeface and size that you like. Run your editor of choice -- emacs and vim certainly don't need net access. Remember to mount a USB stick to save backup copies every so often.

One can of course boot more or less directly to Vim: https://raymii.org/s/blog/Vim_as_PID_1_Boot_to_Vim.html

You asked for a decent editor, not a kitchen sink, so I’ll stop here without touching on Emacs.

I have been toying with this concept as custom distro for a while now... I held off because I didn't think there was any interest in it other than as my own vanity project.

A distro that booted into open office only would be nice !

I have been looking for something like this.

You could set up a script for something like Void/Alpine to just launch vim/emacs as soon as you boot, those are both pretty minimalist ootb, you'd just have to remove internet drivers.

Emacs+LateX for anything complicated and Markdown for simple notes and what not :) . At least it works for me