Personally, I liked camping the spawns. It was another aspect of the game that added to the sense of accomplishment players would get once they claimed the NM, let alone getting the drop. That's another thing...the way NMs work right now is really tacky.

Players used to need to capitalize on a number of different features in order to successfully claim an NM (widescan, flee, provoke, charm, dia, stun, shadowbind, etc.). There were a number of different ways to give yourself the competitive edge when competing for claims, and that made the experience all the more "intense" (which further contributed to making NM camping, an enjoyable experience)
To each their own. Because I remember the /sh bitchfests. The MPKs. The cure bombs to try and steal claims. Trying to cause a Spike Flail. Waiting five+ hours to see no spawn. Seeing mobs pop claimed. Spending weeks/months/years doing the same mind numbing challenges battles with no progress toward any sort of personal goal.

Yeah, there was some thrill in actually getting the claim. But it was countered and dwarfed by the immense overall frustration caused by the rest of the experience.

I understand people enjoyed it. But the Players' Poll spoke volumes about how few players actually want that experience again or ever.