“Start an open source project.”
I’d could get on that. But take into consideration that, even with a released platform, moving the existing system would still be comparable to pulling a yatch with your teeth.
“...who are PHP programmers...”
Now you’re talking nonsense. We’re attempting to get out from the (alleged) mess in a Perl project. PHP would be no better.
“...open-source databases like PostgreSQL that are designed for heavy loads...”
Maybe an improvement beyond MySQL, if that’s what’s being used right now (I don’t remember having read about the current DB setup). But, as pointed out before, there’s no reason yet to say that’s the defining factor, and changing DBMS “just because” is the epitome of silly.
“...It’s lightweight, configurable and capable of heavy loads.”
Yeah, everybody says that. Most don’t really know what a “heavy load” is until it hits them in the head.
“Now you’re talking nonsense.”
If you’ll re-read my post, I mentioned that I’m just now getting into programming... I didn’t claim to be an expert. I don’t know what is “nonsense” yet.
Java, C++, PHP, whatever is not the issue. Google is working on a new language called “Google Go” ( http://golang.org ) that is cutting edge, nearly as fast as C but with the development speed of Python. It’s too early in development for active deployments.
I stand by my suggestion that an open-source project is the way to go. The technology used is secondary. The first step is to reach out to the programmers already here. That’s the point I was trying to convey.