Will mod_perl solve my problem? (Experts please)

Hi,

I have been developing very high traffic, highly complex web apps
(ERP/CRM/Financial) primarily in .net/sql server and mysql/php for the
last 2-3 years. I have found both solutions to be
expensive/overcomplicated and unsafe/unreliable (respectively).

I have considerered moving my development to postgresql (as i'm going
solo!) and mod_perl for an iteration of one of my products as they are
mature and i have basic experience of each. Proposed target platform
is debian 3.1 / pgsql 7.4 when it appears.

I am currently doing a technical evaluation and need some questions
answered by some relevant "perl monks" if possible please?

* Is there a stable, high precision financial type package for perl?

* Can you do clustering easily without brain work (Load balancer +
restoring user-session from central location) with mod_perl or will i
have to implement my own baesd on cookies (like i had to in php)?

* Is there any RPC/remoting mechanism similar to .Net remoting in perl
other than XMLRPC which has a rather high overhead?

* How easy is it to debug a mod_perl application?

Cheers,

- Chris.

.