[bern4444]

Modal editors like vim and helix have modes[0] that allow for different operations.

Vim has

- normal mode which allows you to enter commands to manipulate text rather than just type characters in the file

- insert mode which allows you to enter text into a file

- replace mode which allows you to replace text

and a few others.

Most editors like vscode, sublime etc only have a single mode that they are always in IE insert mode. Modal editors have additional modes that allow for additional capabilities.

[0]https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/vim-editor-modes-explained...