We do that because our job in general is to ignore current practical limitations. The line between practical and impractical changes based on what we make; the job is all about creating solutions that either make a goal more practical, or improving the efficiency of a standing process.

This isn't just a problem with software engineers, but most engineering disciplines. It's impractical to transport logs hundreds of miles for processing, until we create a system that can do it efficiently. It's impractical to keep detailed records of billions of transactions, until we set up a database and reporting infrastructure that can handle that load.