I, for one, use my computer to watch all my existing DVD's. I've got a large screen, a good sound system, and a comfy chair. I can't remember the last time I used my TV to watch them.
And, while I have an AMD64 machine, for the most part, I don't see that a 64-bit OS buys me anything except problems with older drivers, and possibly software, too, I don't know.
So, why do I want to upgrade to a Blue Ray or HD-DVD again? I have a nice collection of DVD's, the resolution looks just fine on my LCD monitor, and they play in Linux as well as Windows XP. Vista (a.k.a. "Windows DRM Edition") issues aside, it seems to be that the movie studios are killing both HD formats with their greed and paranoia.
You know what they say: "Pride cometh before you're eaten by the lions". Or something like that.
The problem Eric Raymond is running up against is the cold reality of a shifting market share. Once upon a time, the Gnu/Linux community was composed mainly of programmers, system administrators, hackers, and the like. In other words, people capable of adapting to the learning curve of a Unix-like system. Now, however, an increasing number of people are interested in it who do not have those skills, or who feel that those skills should not be necessary to operate a computer.
If you cringed while reading that last sentence, if you felt a burst of bile rise up into your throat, then you're gonna *love* the future, because more and more people who feel precisely that way are joining the ranks of the Penguin every day. As the article says, "This group is more interested in having Linux 'just work'... and 'don't care about our notions of doctrinal purity'". There will continue to be friction between the Old Guard and the N00bs, as more and more people abandon the Redmond Upgrade treadmill, until Gnu/Linux either fades into obscurity, collapses into chaos, or a compromise is found that's satisfactory to both groups. In a way, FOSS is becoming a victim of its own success, although that success has not been the sort Raymond and others had hoped. Somehow, it will have to find a way to adapt.
When Microsoft sent the WGA Notify program to all those computers, *that software was considered beta*! Microsoft even admitted that, and explained *that* was the reason the software phoned home, so they could de-activate it if they found any serious problems. It's bad enough they would put what I consider spyware on my machine, it's quite another to put *beta* spyware on my machine. I don't have the original installer anymore for WGA Notify, but if I remember correctly, the "read me" (which I don't recall being given the chance to actually *read* before the thing was installed automatically) mentioned the software was some sort of pre-release.
After Microsoft stuck their WPA Notify spyware on my machine, claiming it was an important, possibly vital update, how am I expected to trust them?
* No * Thank * You *
I have a better solution: I run Windows 2000 SP4 (XP is bloatware in my opinion) inside a Virtual Machine on Linux. The virtual machine has no connection to the internet (its IP address is blocked by the router), and does not run email or a web browser. When the copy of Windows is shut down, *it reverts to a snapshot*. All data is stored external to the VM's "C drive", where it's protected by Linux. Voila, no updates needed!
We've all heard how Microsoft's latest efforts to fight piracy hurt innocent people running legitimate copies of their software. We have all seen how Microsoft installs "beta" software without asking permission. Distrust, like trust, is earned. The folks in Redmond have *earned* my distrust.
After all, Postal 1 and 2 represent modern-day American values, attitudes, and aspirations. What more could you possibly want in a video game? Yea, verily, Postal 2 itself will be forever enshrined as the pinnacle of digital high-brow entertainment!
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off with my shovel to the store. The wife wants me to pick up a quart of milk.
People gave me a lot of flack a while back, whan I objected to Microsoft wanting to incorporate RSS links into Vista. At the time, I claimed that Microsoft has a bad habit of linking unrelated things into the OS at a low level, resulting in what would otherwise be minor anoyances turning into system-wide disasters.
Oh, my, now it turns out that RSS feeds have a potential vulnerability. What a surprise! Imagine now if RSS inherently had links deep within your OS.
Applications should be separated from the OS and other applications on a Need To Know basis, like in Unix/Linux, not mashed together because some marketing droid figures it'd make a good selling point to the clueless masses.
"To help transition to the new protocol and for peer-to-peer networking features, Microsoft has functionality called IPv6 tunneling in Vista. This functionality could expose PCs that otherwise would be invisible behind a firewall, Symantec said."
Once again, Microsoft creates vulnerabilities in its operating system by adding new functionality that the majority of the world is not asking for.
Don't get me wrong, I think rebuilding the code is necessary in a big program like Windows from time to time. It allows for a cleaner, more comprehensible design. But adding features that most people -- users and managers alike -- neither expect nor want, is a recipe for trouble.
While it might not be a good practice, many people secure their Windows computer by hiding it behind a NAT router and hardware firewall, without an anti-virus or software firewall. If a standard feature in Vista allows hackers to get around this protection, I can see security problems becoming worse, not better.
I'm not even going to consider Vista until at least SP1 comes out. I might even wait until SP2 if things look really messy!
If they take away the print screen button's functionality, I have an equally effective work-around: simply hold a piece of tissue paper up to the monitor screen and trace each frame of the movie.
Print screen each frame of a movie to copy it -- give me a break!
If I was wary of Microsoft's actions and intentions before, after the WGA Notifications fiasco, I am doubly so now. In fact, I have lost all faith that Microsoft will do anything to protect the privacy of its customers. I am now treating updates from Microsoft as if they were *all* malware! About the only thing I have not done to date is to firewall the entire Microsoft domain, which I still might do, depending on their future actions. It was bad enough to put a privacy/security risk like WGA Notifications on my machine under false pretenses (it was not, and shall never be a critical update), without sufficient warning or permission, but to put an experimental/pre-release version of that software on my machine is inexcusable!
To put it bluntly, Microsoft no longer has my trust! They have become worse than the pirates they are fighting.
To put it even more bluntly: I will not upgrade Microsoft Office, because I do not trust it. I will not upgrade Internet Explorer to version 7, because I do not trust it. I will not upgrade to Vista because I do not trust it. If this later decision means I can't play the latest and greatest video games, then so be it.
I also refuse to change the way I work because of this, however. A lot of what I do is not handled by Linux to my satisfaction, so I need Windows. That means I will continue to run Windows 2000 or Windows XP, but in a virtual machine in Linux, cut off from the internet. That should protect me from the malware writers -- including the ones at Microsoft!
Microsoft needs to learn that a company's most valuable asset is the goodwill of its customers. Well, they just lost mine.
MS-Windows Vista's system requirements means that future Windows boxes will laugh at the memory/processor requirements of current interpreted/JIT compiled languages
That is, of course, unless it is the consumers who laugh at Vista's absurd requirements, and just stick with Windows XP. Anyone who wants the pretty eye candy can just spend a few bucks for Stardock's Object Desktop, which works without the hardware investmnent. As for the so-called security enhancements, we all know that, for every vulnerability fixed in Vista, Microsoft will introduce two more, thanks to their Insecurity By Design principles.
So the assumption here is flawed. Vista will have little or no impact on memory/processor power out there in the real world.
EU Minister: 'Mornin', Sir. I'm from the European union. I was wondering if I could trouble you to empty out your pockets, please.
Occupant: Oh, I haven't much in my pockets. Here, see? One used Kleenex, two old theater stubs, and one new condum. Oh, sorry, that's a used one. Nevermind.
Minister: Do you have any pocket lint, sir?
Occupant: Yes, I believe so, why?
Minister: Well, you see, sir, we're instituting a new tax on pocket lint. When you consider all the people walking around with lint in their pockets, you'll see what a marvelous opportunity it is to fund important projects.
Occupant: Such as?
Minister: Why, my well-earned vacations to the south of France, for example. You have no idea how many long hours I spend every day trying to find ways to spend the taxpayers' money. Why, the challenge is positively inhuman some days!
Occupant: I can certainly sympathize, sir. Is that tax per pocket, or does it cover the entire outfit.
Minister: We thought we'd start out with the whole outfit, and if it doesn't work out, or the Union decides on a really big project, like putting a man on Pluto or something, we can always expand the tax to a per pocket.
Occupant (handing over money): here you go.
Minister (pocketing money): Thank you for your co-operation, sir. Rest assured that not only have you performed your civic duty, but you are helping to make the world a safer, lint-free place.
Occupant: Do you want to keep the lint?
Minister: Oh, that's not necessary sir. Just recycle it. Give it to your wife, and someone will be by tomorrow to estimate her tax. Good day to you.
Back in the late 80's, I was contacted by the lawyers for Commodore Computer. They were looking for potential witnesses in a lawsuit someone had brought against the company. It seems someone had patented the XOR instruction as it was applied to on screen graphics, and claimed that an enhanced BASIC program for the C-64 violated that patent. At the time, I was a C-64 software developer with some friends in West Chester (C='s HQ).I was never called, more's the pity since it would have involved a trip to San Francisco, all expenses paid. I think the lawsuit was dropped eventually, but still, that sort of thing really sucks. The lawyer told me that Apple had already settled with the guy to avoid their own lawsuit.
I downloaded and lived with one of the many Aero Glass clones found on the Wincustomize website (running on Stardock's Windowblinds) for a month, and if you really think that the glass look is a good idea, that it contributes anything useful to the computing experience, you should do likewise. Only by living with it on a daily basis can you truely appreciate how much it sucks.
Even setting aside issues like DRM and high hardware requirements, what does Vista offer you except for a pretty new interface that you'll turn off after about a week? All the promised enhancements are either missing (e.g., WinFS) or broken (UAP implementation). Plus, since by their own admission they scrapped a lot of code and started over, a lot of what's left is the equivalent of 1.0 software. We all know how great Microsoft is at version 1.0 of *anything*, right?
So, all Vista gives us is Aero Glass, and like the Emperor's New Clothes, we can see right through it. Bill Gates walking around in his underwear. God, now that's a mental picture I didn't need!
The problem, I think, is that there are two groups of Linux users, and they have different expectations as well as different definitions for "ease of use". The more traditional Linux user defines "ease of use" as "what is the best way to get this job done". To this user, the only thing a GUI is good for is to bring up multiple command line windows on screen at the same time.
The other group of users includes most of the people just starting out with Linux. To this group, "ease of use" means "how can I get this job done with the least effort, and the least amount of training". Almost by definition, this precludes using the command line at all. To this group, even using the "man" pages is painful, as they often bring up more questions than answers. These people are known to declare "I don't want to be a programmer -- I just want to get my work done."
So, you have two groups that don't speak the same language, and who find the other's point of view very frustrating. The potential here for friction is so great, that I'm surprised it hasn't resulted in major flame wars.
To the first group, it's easier to type a line of arcane commands into a shell. For the second group, it's easier to follow a twisted maze of GUI menus and dialog boxes. Each side thinks the other is just plain nuts for doing it their way.
Each side needs to understand that this cultural gap exists, and be more understanding when asking or answering questions. Both sides need to change.
Is Linux ready for the desktop? Absolutely. Is the Linux *community* ready for the desktop? Absolutely not. I gave my wife, who had never used a computer before in her life, a laptop loaded with Suse 10. She had no problem with any of it. Of course, she had me to come to with questions or problems. Heaven help her if she had to find an answer from IRC. A little patience and a kind word makes all the difference.
Come on, people, get with the program. Anyone who uses Windows knows that *all* versions are initially released as a public Beta. It took XP until Service Pack 2 to finally come out of Beta.
So, it's perfectly understandable that someone trying to put Windows on a Mac would think Apple means the same thing as Microsoft when it says something is a "beta".
Global Warming can be a significant concern to Europe and the British Isles in particular, since it can result in a significantly colder climate, and the formation of glaciers.
It works like this.
The warmer weather begins to melt the ice and snow covering Greenland. The resulting melt-off is dumped into the North Atlantic, where it reduces the salinity of the seawater. This forces the Gulf Stream to run deeper underwater than is normal, depriving England and Europe of its warmth. Take a look at a map sometime and see how far north these places are.
Thousands of years ago, a similar melt-off happened in the North Atlantic, and within 70 years created one of the last ice ages. When it happens, it happens relatively quickly.
The world is getting warmer. That much is clear, but whether mankind has the ability to influence temperatures one way or the other on a planetary scale (short of something like a nuclear war), I don't believe is quite as certain. We need more study and less rhetoric before we can say for sure what's happening and what we can do about it (if anything).
That having been said, however, it would be prudent for us as a species not to make matters worse. To use a computer analogy, you may feel safe from malware because you run a Mac or Linux, but it's still a good idea to avoid being stupid or careless. Just in case.
This is where the politicians in Washington remind me of my 13-year-old son. Unless he is facing an immediate and certain crisis, he won't do a thing. Tell him he can mitigate a future crisis by taking simple measures, and he acts like you're some kind of nut for worrying about something that hasn't happened yet.
Slashdot Mirror
I, for one, use my computer to watch all my existing DVD's. I've got a large screen, a good sound system, and a comfy chair. I can't remember the last time I used my TV to watch them.
And, while I have an AMD64 machine, for the most part, I don't see that a 64-bit OS buys me anything except problems with older drivers, and possibly software, too, I don't know.
So, why do I want to upgrade to a Blue Ray or HD-DVD again? I have a nice collection of DVD's, the resolution looks just fine on my LCD monitor, and they play in Linux as well as Windows XP. Vista (a.k.a. "Windows DRM Edition") issues aside, it seems to be that the movie studios are killing both HD formats with their greed and paranoia.
You know what they say: "Pride cometh before you're eaten by the lions". Or something like that.
The problem Eric Raymond is running up against is the cold reality of a shifting market share. Once upon a time, the Gnu/Linux community was composed mainly of programmers, system administrators, hackers, and the like. In other words, people capable of adapting to the learning curve of a Unix-like system. Now, however, an increasing number of people are interested in it who do not have those skills, or who feel that those skills should not be necessary to operate a computer.
... and 'don't care about our notions of doctrinal purity'". There will continue to be friction between the Old Guard and the N00bs, as more and more people abandon the Redmond Upgrade treadmill, until Gnu/Linux either fades into obscurity, collapses into chaos, or a compromise is found that's satisfactory to both groups. In a way, FOSS is becoming a victim of its own success, although that success has not been the sort Raymond and others had hoped. Somehow, it will have to find a way to adapt.
If you cringed while reading that last sentence, if you felt a burst of bile rise up into your throat, then you're gonna *love* the future, because more and more people who feel precisely that way are joining the ranks of the Penguin every day. As the article says, "This group is more interested in having Linux 'just work'
When Microsoft sent the WGA Notify program to all those computers, *that software was considered beta*! Microsoft even admitted that, and explained *that* was the reason the software phoned home, so they could de-activate it if they found any serious problems. It's bad enough they would put what I consider spyware on my machine, it's quite another to put *beta* spyware on my machine. I don't have the original installer anymore for WGA Notify, but if I remember correctly, the "read me" (which I don't recall being given the chance to actually *read* before the thing was installed automatically) mentioned the software was some sort of pre-release.
After Microsoft stuck their WPA Notify spyware on my machine, claiming it was an important, possibly vital update, how am I expected to trust them?
* No * Thank * You *
I have a better solution: I run Windows 2000 SP4 (XP is bloatware in my opinion) inside a Virtual Machine on Linux. The virtual machine has no connection to the internet (its IP address is blocked by the router), and does not run email or a web browser. When the copy of Windows is shut down, *it reverts to a snapshot*. All data is stored external to the VM's "C drive", where it's protected by Linux. Voila, no updates needed!
We've all heard how Microsoft's latest efforts to fight piracy hurt innocent people running legitimate copies of their software. We have all seen how Microsoft installs "beta" software without asking permission. Distrust, like trust, is earned. The folks in Redmond have *earned* my distrust.
After all, Postal 1 and 2 represent modern-day American values, attitudes, and aspirations. What more could you possibly want in a video game? Yea, verily, Postal 2 itself will be forever enshrined as the pinnacle of digital high-brow entertainment!
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off with my shovel to the store. The wife wants me to pick up a quart of milk.
People gave me a lot of flack a while back, whan I objected to Microsoft wanting to incorporate RSS links into Vista. At the time, I claimed that Microsoft has a bad habit of linking unrelated things into the OS at a low level, resulting in what would otherwise be minor anoyances turning into system-wide disasters.
Oh, my, now it turns out that RSS feeds have a potential vulnerability. What a surprise! Imagine now if RSS inherently had links deep within your OS.
Applications should be separated from the OS and other applications on a Need To Know basis, like in Unix/Linux, not mashed together because some marketing droid figures it'd make a good selling point to the clueless masses.
Microsoft Windows: Insecure By Design.
(\soapbox)
Getting them to fit on the scale was a real PIA, y'know?
"To help transition to the new protocol and for peer-to-peer networking features, Microsoft has functionality called IPv6 tunneling in Vista. This functionality could expose PCs that otherwise would be invisible behind a firewall, Symantec said."
Once again, Microsoft creates vulnerabilities in its operating system by adding new functionality that the majority of the world is not asking for.
Don't get me wrong, I think rebuilding the code is necessary in a big program like Windows from time to time. It allows for a cleaner, more comprehensible design. But adding features that most people -- users and managers alike -- neither expect nor want, is a recipe for trouble.
While it might not be a good practice, many people secure their Windows computer by hiding it behind a NAT router and hardware firewall, without an anti-virus or software firewall. If a standard feature in Vista allows hackers to get around this protection, I can see security problems becoming worse, not better.
I'm not even going to consider Vista until at least SP1 comes out. I might even wait until SP2 if things look really messy!
Then I propose the spam filter be called Heimdall. Who better to guard the rainbow bridge into Asgard, right Marvel fans?
If they take away the print screen button's functionality, I have an equally effective work-around: simply hold a piece of tissue paper up to the monitor screen and trace each frame of the movie.
Print screen each frame of a movie to copy it -- give me a break!
If I was wary of Microsoft's actions and intentions before, after the WGA Notifications fiasco, I am doubly so now. In fact, I have lost all faith that Microsoft will do anything to protect the privacy of its customers. I am now treating updates from Microsoft as if they were *all* malware! About the only thing I have not done to date is to firewall the entire Microsoft domain, which I still might do, depending on their future actions. It was bad enough to put a privacy/security risk like WGA Notifications on my machine under false pretenses (it was not, and shall never be a critical update), without sufficient warning or permission, but to put an experimental/pre-release version of that software on my machine is inexcusable!
To put it bluntly, Microsoft no longer has my trust! They have become worse than the pirates they are fighting.
To put it even more bluntly: I will not upgrade Microsoft Office, because I do not trust it. I will not upgrade Internet Explorer to version 7, because I do not trust it. I will not upgrade to Vista because I do not trust it. If this later decision means I can't play the latest and greatest video games, then so be it.
I also refuse to change the way I work because of this, however. A lot of what I do is not handled by Linux to my satisfaction, so I need Windows. That means I will continue to run Windows 2000 or Windows XP, but in a virtual machine in Linux, cut off from the internet. That should protect me from the malware writers -- including the ones at Microsoft!
Microsoft needs to learn that a company's most valuable asset is the goodwill of its customers. Well, they just lost mine.
Another platform for the Sony rootkit to run on.
iCan't wait!
What do you mean, "starting"?
It took them this long to get it to Alpha because they couldn't figure out how to implement the Sony root kit inside the original (joke, joke).
MS-Windows Vista's system requirements means that future Windows boxes will laugh at the memory/processor requirements of current interpreted/JIT compiled languages
That is, of course, unless it is the consumers who laugh at Vista's absurd requirements, and just stick with Windows XP. Anyone who wants the pretty eye candy can just spend a few bucks for Stardock's Object Desktop, which works without the hardware investmnent. As for the so-called security enhancements, we all know that, for every vulnerability fixed in Vista, Microsoft will introduce two more, thanks to their Insecurity By Design principles.
So the assumption here is flawed. Vista will have little or no impact on memory/processor power out there in the real world.
(Doorbell Rings)
(Door opens)
Occupant: Yes?
EU Minister: 'Mornin', Sir. I'm from the European union. I was wondering if I could trouble you to empty out your pockets, please.
Occupant: Oh, I haven't much in my pockets. Here, see? One used Kleenex, two old theater stubs, and one new condum. Oh, sorry, that's a used one. Nevermind.
Minister: Do you have any pocket lint, sir?
Occupant: Yes, I believe so, why?
Minister: Well, you see, sir, we're instituting a new tax on pocket lint. When you consider all the people walking around with lint in their pockets, you'll see what a marvelous opportunity it is to fund important projects.
Occupant: Such as?
Minister: Why, my well-earned vacations to the south of France, for example. You have no idea how many long hours I spend every day trying to find ways to spend the taxpayers' money. Why, the challenge is positively inhuman some days!
Occupant: I can certainly sympathize, sir. Is that tax per pocket, or does it cover the entire outfit.
Minister: We thought we'd start out with the whole outfit, and if it doesn't work out, or the Union decides on a really big project, like putting a man on Pluto or something, we can always expand the tax to a per pocket.
Occupant (handing over money): here you go.
Minister (pocketing money): Thank you for your co-operation, sir. Rest assured that not only have you performed your civic duty, but you are helping to make the world a safer, lint-free place.
Occupant: Do you want to keep the lint?
Minister: Oh, that's not necessary sir. Just recycle it. Give it to your wife, and someone will be by tomorrow to estimate her tax. Good day to you.
Back in the late 80's, I was contacted by the lawyers for Commodore Computer. They were looking for potential witnesses in a lawsuit someone had brought against the company. It seems someone had patented the XOR instruction as it was applied to on screen graphics, and claimed that an enhanced BASIC program for the C-64 violated that patent. At the time, I was a C-64 software developer with some friends in West Chester (C='s HQ).I was never called, more's the pity since it would have involved a trip to San Francisco, all expenses paid. I think the lawsuit was dropped eventually, but still, that sort of thing really sucks. The lawyer told me that Apple had already settled with the guy to avoid their own lawsuit.
This is a reference to the classic (and surprisingly good) and short-lived TV show Max Headroom, where televisions didn't have an "off" switch.
Oh, I think it was "30 minutes into the future", wasn't it? Anybody out there whose memory wasn't shot off in the war?
I guess disabling the off button will be the next patent from Phillips.
I downloaded and lived with one of the many Aero Glass clones found on the Wincustomize website (running on Stardock's Windowblinds) for a month, and if you really think that the glass look is a good idea, that it contributes anything useful to the computing experience, you should do likewise. Only by living with it on a daily basis can you truely appreciate how much it sucks.
Even setting aside issues like DRM and high hardware requirements, what does Vista offer you except for a pretty new interface that you'll turn off after about a week? All the promised enhancements are either missing (e.g., WinFS) or broken (UAP implementation). Plus, since by their own admission they scrapped a lot of code and started over, a lot of what's left is the equivalent of 1.0 software. We all know how great Microsoft is at version 1.0 of *anything*, right?
So, all Vista gives us is Aero Glass, and like the Emperor's New Clothes, we can see right through it. Bill Gates walking around in his underwear. God, now that's a mental picture I didn't need!
Nothing to see here, move along.
The problem, I think, is that there are two groups of Linux users, and they have different expectations as well as different definitions for "ease of use". The more traditional Linux user defines "ease of use" as "what is the best way to get this job done". To this user, the only thing a GUI is good for is to bring up multiple command line windows on screen at the same time.
The other group of users includes most of the people just starting out with Linux. To this group, "ease of use" means "how can I get this job done with the least effort, and the least amount of training". Almost by definition, this precludes using the command line at all. To this group, even using the "man" pages is painful, as they often bring up more questions than answers. These people are known to declare "I don't want to be a programmer -- I just want to get my work done."
So, you have two groups that don't speak the same language, and who find the other's point of view very frustrating. The potential here for friction is so great, that I'm surprised it hasn't resulted in major flame wars.
To the first group, it's easier to type a line of arcane commands into a shell. For the second group, it's easier to follow a twisted maze of GUI menus and dialog boxes. Each side thinks the other is just plain nuts for doing it their way.
Each side needs to understand that this cultural gap exists, and be more understanding when asking or answering questions. Both sides need to change.
Is Linux ready for the desktop? Absolutely. Is the Linux *community* ready for the desktop? Absolutely not. I gave my wife, who had never used a computer before in her life, a laptop loaded with Suse 10. She had no problem with any of it. Of course, she had me to come to with questions or problems. Heaven help her if she had to find an answer from IRC. A little patience and a kind word makes all the difference.
But then, I'm a die-hard Suse user, and want the big O to keep it's hands off my distro.
Come on, people, get with the program. Anyone who uses Windows knows that *all* versions are initially released as a public Beta. It took XP until Service Pack 2 to finally come out of Beta.
So, it's perfectly understandable that someone trying to put Windows on a Mac would think Apple means the same thing as Microsoft when it says something is a "beta".
Sheesh!
Global Warming can be a significant concern to Europe and the British Isles in particular, since it can result in a significantly colder climate, and the formation of glaciers.
It works like this.
The warmer weather begins to melt the ice and snow covering Greenland. The resulting melt-off is dumped into the North Atlantic, where it reduces the salinity of the seawater. This forces the Gulf Stream to run deeper underwater than is normal, depriving England and Europe of its warmth. Take a look at a map sometime and see how far north these places are.
Thousands of years ago, a similar melt-off happened in the North Atlantic, and within 70 years created one of the last ice ages. When it happens, it happens relatively quickly.
The world is getting warmer. That much is clear, but whether mankind has the ability to influence temperatures one way or the other on a planetary scale (short of something like a nuclear war), I don't believe is quite as certain. We need more study and less rhetoric before we can say for sure what's happening and what we can do about it (if anything).
That having been said, however, it would be prudent for us as a species not to make matters worse. To use a computer analogy, you may feel safe from malware because you run a Mac or Linux, but it's still a good idea to avoid being stupid or careless. Just in case.
This is where the politicians in Washington remind me of my 13-year-old son. Unless he is facing an immediate and certain crisis, he won't do a thing. Tell him he can mitigate a future crisis by taking simple measures, and he acts like you're some kind of nut for worrying about something that hasn't happened yet.
Do they get a cigarette and a blindfold?
The Patent Office shall add your distinctivenes to our own. Resistance (as well as ohms, voltage, and other scientific knowledge) is futile.