Before vim was vi. Befote vi was ex. (Before ex was ed - the first editor for unix)

Vim has ex built in - `Q` in normal mode to enter Ex mode, 3-5 command lines will show at the bottom and you can Ex away. I don't know of practical uses, I've only done it for the novelty.

Obligatory: To exit Ex mode use `:vi[sual]` - and that's probably where Vi got its name.