Well, sure, but perfect is the enemy of the done. For right now, it can at least be added as a local user preference (or just be implemented unconditionally)... I think. That's why I started the thread: to clarify what needs to be done and who's ready for what. :-)
Please let's not add a silly preference like this. Let's just keep operating under the idea that all logged in users will use HTTPS, and keep moving towards that goal.
As for the "will the servers handle it" question: yes, I'm sure they'll handle it fine:
http://ganglia.wikimedia.org/latest/?r=hour&cs=&ce=&m=&s=by+...
http://ganglia.wikimedia.org/latest/?r=hour&cs=&ce=&m=&s=by+...
http://ganglia.wikimedia.org/latest/?r=hour&cs=&ce=&m=&s=by+...
We have 12 servers for this, and they are so very bored right now. We have the ability to add load to them by moving wikis over gradually as well, so we'll see if we need to add more capacity.
- Ryan