Ok I will bite. What was an alternative to WordPress especially back then that actually was as easy to use as WP AND had the ecosystem of plugins that WP has. Focus on non technical users only who have no idea how to write code.

You're correct. Alternatives were slim. But in retrospect, perhaps that was part of the problem? WP had zero incentive for clean code, QA, industry standards, etc. The more it grew, ironically the less it cared. The embedded base of site and dev as well as the plugin and theme ecosystem maintain the momentum forward, somehow.

The main competitor was Movable Type.

I recall there being several other also-rans, but am having trouble recalling names.

Movable Type was pretty great, but it also cost money. The open-source era of MT was brief and after its primary period of relevance.