I would also recommend looking at node.js (http://nodejs.org/ http://nodejs.org/). Its an event based javascript framework that lends itself to the creation of

I would also recommend looking at node.js (http://nodejs.org/ http://nodejs.org/). Its an event based javascript framework that lends itself to the creation of scalable servers very easily. Its still early days, so might not be mature enough for your project, but worth a look.