Exactly. I'm a computer hardware guy, and I know from experience you don't expect the average programmer to have clue one about his hardware needs. It is two totally separate fields and usually you won't be a pro in both unless you take up the other one as an off hours hobby.
Right. And the reverse is that most "hardware guys" don't know VB from Cobol, nor should they have to. I just never got that interested in that area. Surprising, my other 2 brothers are both in hardware and work for Boeing in Texas. We've never had this "right/wrong" fight before.
Sometimes this is true, but when your Internet store fails because it won't handle the traffic, it is time to reconsider this position. If your apps don't stress low-end machines, and will never be scaled up, you are safe, but if you are writing for a corporation, you better hope your architect knows what he's doing.