As I recall, that was always the idea behind Vim. To bring the power and flexibility the author appreciated in EMACS to the style and interface of Vi.

There's value to be found in taking the best of multiple worlds into one product.

I for example, cut my teeth on Bill Joy VI, and the keystrokes are burned permanently and naturally into my brain. I love the extra stuff that Vim gives me, because it is a natural extension of that toolset that I started with.

Well, you've got to use your memory above the first 640K for something.