howdie, our library has got a serious problem with the client-server system
it uses to provide campus-wide access to databases, mostly off CDROM.
Currently they are running the SCO version of ERL (www.silverplatter.com)
which doesn't seem to handle the increasing load very well. The library
people don't have much unix experience, but at the direction of the ERL
distributors have tweaked various OS parameters to no avail. Of course the
problem could be within ERL, but I'm wondering whether it's worth their
while trying to run the server software on another UNIX offering SCO
emulation.

In the first instance of trying to interest the library enough to explore
this possibility, I'm trying to convey that UNIX emulation doesn't bear the
overheads or complexity of projects like WINE, WABI, SoftPC, etc. I'm also
not trying to evangelize them and will probably recommend FreeBSD as likely
to better handle heavy loads, although mentioning it's emulation system
(and Linux's?) originated with NetBSD. If it works, I'll make sure the
thousands of relieved customers are made aware of this 8-).

I'm looking for informed comments on whether SCO emulation
  1) is likely to work, ie what might cause problems
  2) whether running under Net/FreeBSD is likely to cope
     better with the load. Is SCO known to poorly cope
     with various definitions of "heavy load" ?

This is a serious immediate issue for the library, but the ERL distributors
haven't been able to say that throwing extra money at the servers will
improve the situation. SilverPlatter are also developing Linux & NT
versions of the server, but the situation needs to be fixed now.

cheers,
Danny Thomas  <D.thomas@vthrc.uq.edu.au>