When I hiked the AT in 1979, almost every hiker I met carried a stove (though it should be noted that there were a lot fewer thru-hikers in those days). There were some who mixed stove use with the occasional cooking fire. Almost all the stoves were Svea or Optimus. I do remember a woman in a trail shelter in Virginia who pulled out a Sterno stove and everyone looked at her funny. As for fuel acquisition, by then, most trail towns were accommodating hikers. Hardware stores and/or gear shops would sell Coleman fuel by the liter, poured from a gallon container.
With regard to the ''Jets/Sharks'' controversy, as a Svea partisan, I/we thought the Optimus 8/8R too big and heavy. It didn't fit in the lower side pockets of a Kelty A4 packframe, and had a heavy useless Steel box without a cup. Not sure when the Optimus 99 came along, but that seemed a better prospect. I don't recall any real arguments or fisticuffs over the matter. Just each side thought the other a fool. Not sure what reasons backed the 8R crowd, but they were goofy, anyway. I stayed West, camping in the Sierras and Rockies. Also I was active in SAR after military service. I have since acquired an 8R and a 99 and l like them. Some weight comparisons: SVEA 123 = 544 g, 19.1 oz SVEA 123R = 552 g, 19.4 oz Optimus 8R = 667 g, 23.4 oz Opti 99 = 650 g, 22.9 oz So the 123 wins the Grams Race.