Comment Ask Slashdot (Score 4, Insightful) 171
So we have two basic options: pay for bigger hardware, or spend more time writing/maintaining custom code that allows us to live on our existing hardware.
Hardware is Cheap, Programmers are Expensive:
Given the rapid advance of Moore's Law, when does it make sense to throw hardware at a programming problem? As a general rule, I'd say almost always. Consider the average programmer salary here in the US. You probably have several of these programmer guys or gals on staff. I can't speak to how much your servers may cost, or how many of them you may need. Or, maybe you don't need any--perhaps all your code executes on your users' hardware, which is an entirely different scenario. Obviously, situations vary. But even the most rudimentary math will tell you that it'd take a massive hardware outlay to equal the yearly costs of even a modest five person programming team.