> HNers have been going to fully fledged war

That's not accurate though, is it? Unless you're exaggerating for effect.

I don't think most people on HN are against non-free products at all. I think they're against products that provide little value compared to their price.

There may also be some general exhaustion from so many products moving to a subscription model, instead of an old-fashioned one-off purchase. $9/month may not seem a lot, but it quickly adds up.