Help with choice of suitable Architecture

[Rob Cowie]

I agree with the sentiments that a single XML file is not the way to go
for storing data that may be accessed concurrently. However, my hands
are tied.

It seems that CGI is likely to be the most straightforward option. Is
the learning curve likely to be steeper for pure CGI or a web
application architecture such as Nevow?

Paul..... I agree that client-side scripting increases the level of
compexity, but did it really go out of fashion with pop-ups? It seems
to be just getting started. Google use it to great effect.... maps,
suggest etc. I wasn't thinking of using it to deal with any 'business
logic', just to add some dynamism to the interface - use
XMLhttprequests, a bit of DOM scripting etc.