Oh it's a big topic. There's still some of the old guard forums around. My personal favourite is save-point.org, the admin there is genuinely well meaning and keeps the site popping with weekly news and various other activities.
This place is good due to the general skill level of most makers being fairly average or low, so i can actually be helpful when i feel so inclined, and just flex elsewise! (THIS IS A JOKE MOSTLY OKAY HALF ANF HALF W/E LET ME HAAAVE IT!)
HBgames (once rmxp.org) has gotten very dated, it has similar issues technically as this place, only PNG's linked from imgur have not been working for ages which has cut its appeal down a buttload.
There's actually nothing super wrong with the MZ engine itself, its RTP- especially on release, was VERY hit and miss though. My friend Coyotecraft might have done a huge thread on it.
My gripe with them is the same as yours, its very commercial or corporate nature sickens me. I kept clear of rpgmakerwebs even when it was new. The only reason I was banned from there is because i was banned from here and that was just like 'oh yeah lets ban remi from this place she never fuckin visits LMAOOO'.
Jokes on them though. I've managed to be allowed back in here, twice.
I joined the maker community back in late 2007, and it's been a sad state of affairs to see how far its declined. But the past is dead, the best we can do is honor the memories we had by sharing them around the campfire with those who came after so they may lead with better principles than those who came before.
Either way, welcome to the forum~!