> it genuinely interests me how Vi users put up with the constant need to strain their pinky to switch to command mode.
Is it any different from how emacs users put up with Ctrl/Alt?
You aren't looking to switch, but if anybody is, install this https://github.com/tpope/vim-rsi for basic keybinding in insert mode. This is quite a short file. If you want, you can simply copy it to your .vimrc. For non-basic movement/editing, switch to normal mode and edit.
Is it any different from how emacs users put up with Ctrl/Alt?
You aren't looking to switch, but if anybody is, install this https://github.com/tpope/vim-rsi for basic keybinding in insert mode. This is quite a short file. If you want, you can simply copy it to your .vimrc. For non-basic movement/editing, switch to normal mode and edit.