[jpitz]

>SQL Server has been MVCC for seven years

You're technically correct, which is the best kind of correct to be. Still, there are nuances: snapshot isolation is not the default, and not many people are aware of it, much less use it.

So far as the pattern/antipattern - I agree wholeheartedly with you. I would put it in the category of flagged patterns - the usage characteristics and especially the usage growth need to be carefully understood when doing this.