Ordinals developers were testing their projects in testnet 3?
It is good, that Ordinals are in testnets, if that stops them from using mainnet. Testnet coins are worthless, so pushing data is the only thing you can do there. And if you also add non-standardness, then testnets are even better for Ordinals, because then, they can push their data easier, without some mainnet restrictions.
the disruption was caused by an "Ordinals hater"
No. It was all about timewarp testing. And using testnet3 was quite obvious, because you cannot use signet, if you don't have the private keys for signet challenge. For regtest, nobody would see your tests, so nobody would care. So, what other test network would you pick to test timewarp? As I said, some test cases require mining, and timewarp is one of them.
and that he tried to stop the testnet to therefore also stop all Ordinals testing
Even if there is a blockstorm, then you can still use a network, if you have a full node. Which is why if you check the latest block on mempool.space, then it can often show you some old block, hundreds of blocks behind, while your full node is up-to-date. Another thing is if there is any blockstorm, and someone requires for example 100 confirmations, then you can get it after around 15-20 seconds.
Also, as you can see, testnet3 blocks still contain a lot of Ordinals, so even if someone's end goal was to stop them, then it failed. Because if you make coins worthless by definition, then pushing data is the only thing, that is left, and testnet3 was used as a data pushing network, long before Ordinals.
testnet3 is already dead to me
Well, technically, it still works. And it will probably live as an altcoin, at least for a while. I will consider testnet3 "dead", if no peers will be there.
Meanwhile, testnet4 is going to achieve "one ASIC block per difficulty adjustment" state, so testnet4 chain can even "halt" for a while, if ASIC miners will turn their devices off, after they see the current difficulty. Also, testnet4 already had UASF, related to timewarp rules. So, it is alive, but unfinished, and miners may still switch into testnet3 for a while, if testnet4 will for example halt, when 99% blocks will be CPU-mined, and when everyone will wait into the next ASIC block (because consensus rules require at least one ASIC block per difficulty adjustment).
So the fact that no regular developer with a regular PC can mine on the blockchain makes it dead to me
Well, the code shared by Garlo Nicon, works on both testnet3 and testnet4. And also, testnet3 will never be "stuck", because you can push the whole chain forward, by just having a single CPU miner, while testnet4 will wait for the next ASIC block, because of the new timewarp rules.
even if you are using an S21s on it, your are still subject to infinite block reorgs caused by the other stupid people
Meanwhile in testnet4:
getchaintips
...
{
"height": 47300,
"hash": "00000000104ace9976e4d88537269fb24dbff9b6d4c24d43a4f5ea765a6c0c6e",
"branchlen": 114,
"status": "valid-fork"
},
...
When testnet4 network will be dominated by CPUs, and when 99% blocks will be mined by them, it will be normal to see a lot of reorgs, up to the 2016 block reorg, when some ASIC will come in, and pick the proper chain.
the irony with testnet3 is that block subsidy is now 0.00152
Test coins are worthless, so they can work as well with zero coins. As long as CPU mining works, you can mine a block or two every day, and do all tests you need. Also, as long as some people would want to test things, block rewards from fees would be sufficient. Another thing, is that eventually, the mainnet will also get there, so if low fees is a problem, then testnet3 is the best network to check, how people would react to any changes in that matter.