Prices Fall, Replacements Soar--You Still Need to Spend the Money.

This issue is about money and funding. The good news is that computers are getting cheaper. Today, we're paying approximately $800 for a fast machine that has just about everything you need built in: Windows XP pro, CD-ROM, USB, sound cards, and video capable of enough resolution that you can't see it. This means that Moore's Law, the concept that chip density doubles every 24 months, is basically out the window. Chip density has quadrupled in the last 24 months. It's doubling every year, not every 2 years. We're facing this right now with several "old" Windows NT servers that are beginning to give us "intermittent" problems that are tough to pin down. Given that they are crucial and mission critical, the best way to handle this is to buy new Microsoft Windows XP Pro servers. The bad news is that though computers are getting cheaper, you have to buy them more often. We've managed to increase funding for replacement computers over the years to the point where I am almost able to replace one-fifth of the computers per year.