We had a 24 processor AIX machine running our database. During peak periods it was running 90% CPU utilization.

A senior developer (me) looked at the piece of code - rewrote it and now during peak the same CPU only runs 40%!

(The prior programmers were ---- not the best in the world!).

Sometimes throwing hardware at the problem doesn't solve the problem. Running 4 queries and 1 stored procedure to get two integers isn't the smartest way of doing things.

Sorry folks - Way back before the internet as we know it - on the Santa Cruz forums of CompuServe, Stephen J. Vaughan-Nichols was one of the people that provided a lot of support and help to the poor, uneducated (then anyway) System Admin's of SCO machines.

So yea, I believe SJVN is a real person.

And yes, the company calling itself SCO is so totally screwed!