This article is really hard to follow, and while I think it serves as a fine response to the original article (if a bit redundant just to state "some people use paid tools!"), the biggest issue is that I don't really agree with it's core message. "Devs" don't use anything other than a text editor and a runtime of some sort. Everything else is superfluous. I've met a lot of people who are convinced that isn't the case; they think they need their $99 text editor, their $39 FTP client and their $79 trackpad. The core conceit of this mindset is, of course, you don't really need any of that stuff. The software you need to write anything can be acquired for free. The only hardware you need is a computer and a keyboard (mouse optional!)

People think that accruing more tools will make them happier. Every other hobby has a name for this: "gear acquisition syndrome", or the perpetual state of thinking that the next investment will make you happy, or turn you into the 10x engineer you thought you were destined to be. This is a lie, and it's something that companies spend every last cent getting you to believe. The reason why some developers make $10,000 landing pages? They know they'll make back the cash if you're convinced their product will make you any happier.

The real world, ground-truth is that devs use whatever they want.