Pumaboy,
As HC indicates, you do not have to read the thread.
I for one find the whole discussion extremly enlightening and, as I know both of the protagonists and their backgrounds, welcome the technical content of their discussion. (The recent post on autopilots was particularly interesting as was their discusion on EGPWS)
If you were to poll the readership, I would hazard a guess that the majority have learned a great deal from the writings of Nick and HC; like most others, I deplore the personal insults and find them somewhat superfluous (and not really amusing) but put up with them.
As Nick points out, unless customers and pilots take a stand on these enhancements, the necessary improvements in the safety record will not be seen.
If only we could have similar discussions on Human Factors.
Jim