Somebody else has to have thought of this, but I haven't seen it mentioned anywhere. I'm no software engineer, but it seems to me that a big part of the problem at the Obamacare website is the phenomenal demand for services. A year from now, you won't need to accommodate umpteen thousand people per minute desperately searching for affordable health insurance. But right now you do. So what's the kludge? Join me after the vermillion crop circles and explain to me why I'm wrong.
Here's what you do, President Obama, Secretary Sibelius and crew: On odd-numbered days, you only process people born on odd-numbered days. And on even-numbered days, you just process the people born on even-numbered days.
Presto! You just cut your traffic in half. If it's still overloaded, try processing every third day, based on month of birth: January-April, then May-August, then October-December.
Seriously! Wouldn't this give your server farms a chance to catch their breath? Just kludge it like this for a few months, then once things settle down, your website will thank you for it.
Any other problems, give me a call.