Why some vi users map the ESC key to CAPSLOCK?

This is also my lived experience. I have an adm5 down in the basement, if the flyback transformer whine didn't drive me crazy (and the really sub-par keyboard, if were honest) it would be upstairs.

You could tell VMS on VT100+ users by the rather odd rubberised "numpad condoms" they had to map the keycaps to things like TPU, the Dec editor on steroids. Different condom for different editor, basially. "real programmers" in Unix didn't need these tacky rubber overlays, and also didn't use the numpad keys.

You could tell ADM/vi users by the endless stream of "meeeeaaappp" as they hammered the ESC key and "BEL" ^G went off.