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Fusion Authority Fusion Authority
The House of Fusion Technical Magazine
Issue: 111

June 5, 2002
June 27, 2002
This is an opt-in magazine. To join, leave or change subscription mode, please visit the signup page. All content of this magazine is copyright Fusion Authority, Inc. It may not be reproduced without permission.

Specials
Special Job Search Section
WorkInsight: How to be Your Own Headhunter!
Now -- Let's Talk Benefits!
Views: It's Who You Know (Donnie Bachan)
Views: Follow up is Key (Michael Haggerty)
 
Community
HalHelms.com: A Thoughtful Community Resource
Blogging About ColdFusion
 
News
Usability Issues by RNIB an Unfair Test?
 
Tech and Tags
What's New in the Tag Gallery?
What's New at CFLib.org?
New Pet Market Blueprint Application
A Tour of the Pet Market Application
Pet Market Process Map
Designing Application Interfaces with Macromedia Flash MX
Best Practices for Building Rich Internet Applications with Macromedia Flash MX
Optimize Your Application with Design Patterns
N-tiered Architecture: Let Your Application Grow
Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software
Ben Forta on Architecture: Introduction to ColdFusion Components
 
Views
CF Developer 'Disappointed' in RNIB
Macromedia Versus Microsoft?
 
Reviews
Macromedia's HomeSite 5.0
Flash Flood Rising
 
Knowledge Base
JRun 4.0: Deploying Applications to a JRun Cluster
 

Specials

Special Job Search Section

It's summer. Perhaps business is slow, and you're looking for more consulting opportunities. Perhaps, like those of us who were not so lucky and hit by the latest economic downturn, you've just gotten the pink slip from your soon-to-be former boss. You look at the RESUME you haven't used in at least a year, sitting there gathering dust on your shelf. Here we go again!

But take heart. It does not have to be that way. Here at Fusion Authority, we know you're a coder, not a headhunter, and we've provided you with some help from some of the experts in our! Take a look at our special Job Search Section that will help you cut through the job-hunting red tape and get that power job ...

Judith Dinowitz
Editor-in-Chief
Fusion Authority

[Top]

WorkInsight: How to be Your Own Headhunter!

by David Perry, Managing Partner of Perry-Martel International, Inc.

This article is adapted and rewritten for Fusion Authority from Workinsight: A Headhunter's Guide to Finding the Perfect Job by the author, David Perry. We hope that these insights will help those of you who are in the midst of job searches, and that you'll check out Dave's sight, Workinsight.com.

When looking for ColdFusion jobs, most people will limit their search to the traditional approaches like answering want ads, surfing job boards, and asking friends. That's a great start, but everyone else is doing that too. Now your "friends and colleagues" are probably competing against you. You need to work smarter, which requires rethinking some of the old job search sources.

Here are some new twists on traditional approaches:

Newspapers

When searching through the classifieds remember companies always try to hire locally first for expense reasons, so don't rush out and buy papers from another city unless you are prepared to move there and pick up your own expenses. On the other hand, if an out-of-town company is recruiting in your local paper, you can bet they're desperate so jump on them quickly.

Here are the largest daily newspapers in America:

http://www.bizmove.com/media_directory/top_100_newspapers.htm

Job Boards

Register yourself at all the top job boards and you will cover 2% of the market.

Some Examples:

Register at as many of the niche "free" sites as possible and cover another 1%.

Like:

Register at local job boards in your area because most employers advertise and source candidates locally first.

Newsgroups

Newsgroups are the best source of jobs. There are more jobs on newsgroups than anywhere else because they're free for everyone, for employers, recruiters and you. Headhunters use newsgroups 50:1 over job boards. It was impossible to keyword search newsgroups until www.workinsight.com was invented. Workinsight, of which I am a part owner, aggregates jobs from all the technology newsgroups in one place. CF jobs are spread-out on all 410-technology newsgroups pretty evenly because people tend to search for jobs locally when looking through newsgroups so employers post to city-specific newsgroups. There is no mega newsgroup for ColdFusion jobs.

Referrals From Friends and Relatives

Personal referrals are an excellent way to find a job. You need to involve ALL your friends and colleagues in your job search. Most companies post jobs internally before going to newspapers or Third Party Recruiters. It's not just because it's cheaper; it's because the employer has someone on staff who is interested and morally accountable for the new person they refer.

The best way to highlight your recent availability is to use a Networking letter - a one-page overview of your accomplishments and job interests.

What matters is NOT that you built a multivariate nonlinear statistical model in CF for cost analysis (achievement), but rather, the $157 million first-year savings from its use (value of the achievement). Keep it to three bullet points.

Sample Networking Letter

The Hidden Job Market

Newspaper ads, job boards, newsgroups and friends will only lead you to 30% of all the job openings available at any given time. To reach the "hidden job market" you need to take a more proactive approach. You need to learn how to direct source job leads the same way a headhunter does.

HOW TO Direct Source Your Next Job.

Internet Searches

By far the best way to discover new opportunities is by doing structured search engine queries. And it's fairly easy to do. Here's how to do Targeted Research, step by step:

*** Step #1 Develop a Target List of Companies ***

Decide on key words that are specific to the type of job you are looking for. We'll use Coldfusion and JavaScript. The generic words you'll need are job, resume, submit and free. We are using this search string to instruct Google to return the lists of websites that have Coldfusion jobs but are not ads for resume submitting businesses.

Our Targeted Search on Google

Choose the advanced search option. Entering the words one by one brings you the following results:

Words Number of Hits Relevance
Coldfusion 512,000 Low
Resume 16,300 low, includes candidate resumes
Submit 2210 low, includes job boards
Job 1190 high, all Coldfusion jobs
JavaScript 658 very high, Coldfusion and JavaScript jobs
Not "free" 483 Very, very high, this excludes all the resume submittal sites and shows just the jobs.

To drill down to the local level, use your telephone area code as a search criteria -- for example, 212 for New York. That'll narrow the hits down dramatically. You can easily work through a response of less than 100 hits in an hour or two.

*** Step #2 Find People Who Can Hire You ***

Once you have a target list of companies to work with, you need to find out who the people are in those companies that can actually hire you. A headhunter would likely pick up the telephone and ask a series of mind-numbing, thought-provoking questions that would deliver all that golden info to them. You might not be so inclined, so here's another way to do it.

Go to each company's web site and gather names. If you're lucky, every web site will provide the complete identification of all their senior executives, including names, titles, phone numbers, career summaries and sometimes email and photos! Web information should be up-to-the-minute accurate, but if you have any doubts, make a phone call to confirm it.

     In my case I'm looking for a programming job so I am likely to be hired by a VP of Engineering or VP of Marketing.

If you're having difficulty finding the name on the site go back to Google's advanced search box and type in the company name in the first box and (Vice President Engineering Director Marketing) in the 3rd box. You don't need the brackets and do not put any punctuation in.

This search string will bring you:

Once you have the name of the individual who is one rung up the ladder from the job you want, you need to process their name through Google again. This time you put their first and last name in the 1st box and the company name in the 3rd box.

This will produce a list of Press Releases, News Articles and conferences they've attended. Read an article or two and clip something memorable to use in your NarrowCast letter. When you send them the letter you'll be able to say. "I read your article in… about… which prompted me to write." Very powerful.

Below you'll find an example of a good narrowcast letter. This letter got a response from the VP of R&D less than one hour later, which started a dialogue, which may lead to an offer of employment.

Sample Narrowcast Letter

The world is enjoying a huge rise in prosperity, powered by the "new economy." This economy is fueled by brainpower -- the consenting, enthusiastic contributions of high-tech workers like you. And the more your efforts succeed, the greater the demand for your services. As you learn to use these new techniques for finding opportunities, remember that whatever goes down must go up. Using these techniques will put you right back on the crest of the wave.

David Perry is managing partner of Perry-Martel International and author of Workinsight: A Headhunter's Guide to Finding the Perfect Job. He may be reached at dperry@perrymartel.com

Proceeds from the sale help pay for English education in Quebec.

[Top]

Now -- Let's Talk Benefits!

Tips from Lawrence Stuenkel, Lawrence and Allen, Inc.

Yes, benefits are nearly as important as salary! Outplacement expert Lawrence Stuenkel reveals the perks you should ask about before you accept that job.

Greenville, SC (June 2002) -- Imagine that you're the victim of a recent downsizing and your job search campaign is well underway. In fact, you're in the running for three separate positions. Right now, your biggest concern is salary. You've pretty much decided that, in the unlikely event that you're offered all three jobs, salary will be the deciding factor. This is not surprising. After all, income is the most tangible and visible reward for your efforts. But there's something you're overlooking in your pursuit of a hefty paycheck. The "B-word" . . . benefits.

"Most applicants don't place a premium on benefits," says Lawrence Stuenkel, Senior Partner of outplacement firm Lawrence & Allen, Inc. and author of From Here To There: A Self-Paced Program for Transition in Employment, 5th Edition (Facts on Demand Press, April 2002, ISBN: 1-889150-31-2, $32.00). "That's a mistake. People don't realize how costly benefits are to an employer. Sometimes, benefits offered range in excess of 40 percent of the salary dollar! That makes them extremely valuable."

"Therefore, although I don't recommend bringing up the subject until after an offer has been extended, I do suggest that job seekers take a proactive approach on the subject," he adds. "Before you accept a job, do your research. Determine which benefits are important to you, and make sure the company offers them. If in doubt, ask the HR person or whomever you're dealing with. Don't assume anything."

Here are just a few of the benefits Stuenkel says you might wish to discuss before accepting a position:

There's one more benefit you may never have considered that is very important, Stuenkel adds. Outplacement services. That's right. In the event that you're downsized at some future time, it's nice to know the company won't just "cut you loose."

"I know it seems strange to be thinking about losing the job that you're trying to land," says Stuenkel. "But it's a possibility. Indeed, it may well be why you're seeking a job in the first place! Conscientious companies will hire an outplacement firm to help their downsized employees find new work. And of course, if you're ever transferred or relocated, if the firm can help your spouse or significant other find a job, too."

"Think of outplacement services as 'job loss' insurance," he adds. "In a time of economic instability, knowing you'll have support in the event of a lay-off is comforting. Your new company can't promise to provide employment for you forever-but it can promise to help you make an unforeseen transition as smooth and painless as possible."

In 1977, Lawrence A. Stuenkel founded the firm of Lawrence and Allen, Inc. to provide consulting services to corporations regarding the handling, separation, and assistance to employees that are affected by downsizing, restructuring, layoffs, or terminations. From Here To There: A Self-Paced Program for Transition in Employment is a comprehensive new book that is packed with helpful hints and creative approaches to finding the position that's right for you.

[Top]

Views: It's Who You Know (Donnie Bachan)

I think that networking and/or agencies provide the best options for persons looking for jobs. On the networking front, attending community meetings (CFUGs), registering with community mailing lists, etc., provide essential contacts that will help get your name out there. Agencies are usually free and do actually help track down many leads. It's all about who you know and more importantly WHO KNOWS YOU!

Donnie Bachan is an independent IT Consultant, husband, father and a Star Wars buff.

[Top]

Views: Follow up is Key (Michael Haggerty)

My only advice is make lots of phone calls and follow up on every position you apply for. I used to think it was all right to just send in a resume and wait, but the reality is you are competing with 200+ applicants for just about everything that comes along.

I would contact recruiters directly and ask to know the status of my resume. The recruiter would typically spend about two minutes digging it out, during which time I would explain my qualifications and how interested I am in their company and the position I applied for. They would look at the resume and ask three questions (the questions were always different, but the number was always the same). The recruiters in some cases seemed grateful that I called them and was qualified because they were having trouble dealing with the volume of resumes received.

I did this for more than 40 jobs advertised on monster.com, careerbuilder.com, techies.com, computerjobs.com, dice.com and a couple of other sites, and was called in for interviews for 28 of them. Of the 28, I was called back for second interviews at 16 and of those I have received offers from 7 companies. I still expect to hear back from several of the others in the next couple of weeks.

One thing I know is very important right now is having experience with Section 508 compliance. There are not a lot of developers who can articulate a 508 strategy and this made the difference for me with three of the positions I interviewed with. Remember that Section 508 applies to more than just the Web, so be ready to answer questions about the scope of 508 compliance and specifics about the law.

I also did not limit myself just to Web positions; I applied for technology management type positions and found the jobs I was applying for really appealing.

Michael Haggerty is a ColdFusion developer specializing in Web portal and healthcare management solutions. His technical skills include project management, Section 508 compliance, database modelling, user interface design, technical documentation and customer relationship management.

[Top]


Community

HalHelms.com: A Thoughtful Community Resource

Hal Helms has done it again -- He has given us some valuable information on his site, www.halhelms.com, that may prove invaluable to our readers. I'm referring to his newsletter, Conversations with Hal and Steve Number 15, in which Hal Helms and Steve Nelson discuss community resources. The newsletter is written in a humorous tone, so that the information, which could sound dry and boring, makes the reader chuckle. Thank you, Hal, for your high praise of Fusion Authority as a worthy resource.

Conversations with Hal and Steve Number 15: Community Resources

[Top]

Blogging About ColdFusion

By Eron Cohen/Brainbox Productions

If you aren't already aware, a "blog" is a Web Log, a sort of online diary. The format has been around for years, but has recently become more important to the ColdFusion community. This is because a few key people at Macromedia have decided to adopt the format to add their personal comments to Macromedia's products and accentuate what they feel is important. Although these are personal logs, alot of what is being said in them is very important, especially given the positions of those who are writing. Below are links to recommended blogs from Macromedians. Check them out; you are sure to learn something new:

Sean Corfield, Director of Architecture at Macromedia: http://www.corfield.org/blog/
Mike Chambers, http://radio.weblogs.com/0106797/
Vernon Viehe, Community Manager http://vvmx.blogspot.com/

[Top]


News

Usability Issues by RNIB an Unfair Test?

June 18 -- The Royal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB) put the new Flash MX through a test to see if the technology did, as it claimed, help people view websites using screenreaders. What was the test? The RNIB commissioned Web outfit, Bluewave, to create an online game that would be accessible to blind people using Flash MX.

The results? According to Julie Howell, Campaigns Officer (Internet) for RNIB, files created in Flash MX were only accessible to the latest version of the Windoweyes screenreader, and if other screenreaders were used, Flash files were still inaccessible. The RNIB has declared this to be unacceptable.

RNIB 'disappointed' in Macromedia

In response, we have a new Views article by Tom Lommel, Manager of the Twin Cities CFUG, called "CF Developer 'Disappointed' in RNIB." We would also like to point out that one of Macromedia's Community Managers, John Dowdell, has blogged on the subject. He points out that this is more of an issue with the MSAA ("Microsoft Active Accessibility") technology, which provides a common system-level interface between various readers and various applications. This technology is in its early stages, and "Macromedia Flash MX and GW Micro's Window-Eyes were some of the first to take advantage of this advance ... I know it's hard to please every person perfectly, but I hope they're glad we're investing and succeeding in these early, standard, steps...?" Read the rest of his blog below for more information on this issue and the actual tech involved.

A daily log of news related to Macromedia MX from John Dowdell.

[Top]



Tech and Tags

What's New in the Tag Gallery?

These are all the tags for issue 111 from 6/5/2002 to 6/27/2002
CF_Personal Finance
I created this to keep track of my checkbook and savings accounts at all times. I have internet access at work and at home, so it works a lot better for me than writing it down in a book and using a checkbook or something else. Since I'm on the internet a large part of my life, it's easier for me to just put something into an online database and pull it up when I'm at work or at home and see what my balance is. I included a simple little budget analysis tool that I may expand on at a later date. If I do, an upgrade will be made available here for free. No account or personal information is stored online.
Deluxe Color Picker 1.0
A universal color picker for all occasions. It can be used to create hex color values in form inputs, set the background of any document, and set any of the Cascading Style color properties to any object that supports some color related property like (background-color,color,border-color,border-top-color etc...). There are NO any images used, making it easy to place it in any folder.
Comment out JavaScript
This VTOM script comments out a selected block of code with JavaScript style comments /**/. Simple and handy.
Present & Future Value Annuity Calculator
A simple file that allows you to calculate present and future values of annuities through forms.
InstantGlossary
Instant Glossary is a tool which provides Web pages the ability to get instant definitions of words found in the English Dictionary by simply adding some pre-written JavaScript to your page.
peoplexs
Give your organization instant access to an entire suite of recruitment tools. With peoplexs you match, track, analyze and manage your recruitment business online. You now have easy access to all information you need to attract, manage and retain people within your organization.
eShopping Cart for E-Commerce [Open Source]
This is a shell application that enables users to create an online shopping cart for an online store. This application comes with an administrative folder that allows you to control basically the entire site. It includes the following: creates sessionid using CFTOKEN, category admin, product admin, automatic newsletter generator to subscriber list, random picture generator for index.cfm, add products to newsletter or sale page on the fly, automatic response emails for tell-a-friend and comments portion, view all comments information page, generates automatic email to administrator for new order notification, and much more. NOTE: This application was created using a foundation built by Tim Salzman. I have created a robust added functionality to enhance your developing experience.
Community Café v3.0
Whether you have plans on starting a not-for-profit website for your group or organization or a commercial, revenue-generating online destination, Community Café v3.0 is the only turn-key solution that can turn your ideas into reality, literally, in hours, not months. The primary barrier to entry into the large online community market is the amount of up-front capital necessary to custom-develop the underlying software. With that in mind, you'll see that Community Café v3.0 is an invaluable product for those wanting to enter this tight market.
Next Previous ID
Previous/Next ID- Free Code Snippet to get the Previous and Next ID of your current ID in a Query. Great for paging through a query with non-sequential IDs.
e-publish
Features: Dynamic administration, management and content publishing. Ability to relate articles with issue numbers for newsletter and magazines content sites. Dynamic categorization and menu creation with text or graphics options. Dynamic creation of html pages using online HTML Editor. Column management in home page. Support of main articles and secondary articles in the home page. Display categories with relative articles in home page. Manageable order, row, column of the displayed categories. Related links support for each article (up to 5 links) Appearance of related articles during the article reading according the corresponding category. Control panel used to print, send with mail and read/write comment on each article. Forum. Visual web directory (links). Jokes module. Quotes module. much more...
"MenuMonger Pro"
Lets you build a complete, full-featured DHTML menu with no coding. MMPro utilizes the Milonic DHTML menu system. A single-domain commercial Milonic menu system license (a US$30 value) is included in the MMPro purchase price.
Shopping Cart for E-Commerce
This is a shell application that enables users to create an online shopping cart for an online store. This application comes with an administrative folder that allows you to control basically the entire site.
ezBookmark 2.0
ezBookmark 2.0 is a developers dream! ezBookmark is a complete bookmark management system. Tired of not remembering the correct URL to a certain article or website? Do you wish you had access to all your browser bookmarks no matter what computer you where using? Well, now you can with ezBookmark! Speed up development time with ezBookmark and consolidate all your bookmarks into one central online location. For more details please visit us at: http://www.eztoolz.com
CF_LastModified
This tag was created so that you could pull the DateLastModified for the page that it is being called from. This can be VERY useful if you want to display the date/time that a certain page on your website was updated last. Rather than manually entering the date information, simply install this tag into your CustomTags directory and type <CF_LastModified> (to use the default values). Output look can be modified using attributes that all have default values. Don't like the default values? Then change them ... This tag is free of charge and open source.
pcodeCacheFlushAll
Instruct CF to purge all CF templates from the pcode cache, even if Trusted Cache is enabled. Enjoy the performance benefits of Trusted Cache with significantly less administrative overhead. E.g. a "push script" could call this programmatically (rather than having to cycle the server). Tested on CF5. pcodeCacheFlushAll is Open Source software released under the terms of the GNU Public License.
secsToTime()
A UDF (User Defined Function - CF5) that takes the number of seconds and mask provided and outputs the specified, formatted string.
auto_codesweeper
Runs CodeSweeper on all open documents with a simple toolbar button click. Very useful for formatting unreadable generated HTML files like JavaDoc.
CF_Personal Finance Ver 1.0
I created this to keep track of my checkbook and savings accounts at all times. I have internet access at work and at home, so it works a lot better for me than writing it down in a book and using a checkbook or something else. Since I'm on the internet a large part of my life, it's easier for me to just put something into an online database and pull it up when I'm at work or at home and see what my balance is. I included a simple little budget analysis tool that I may expand on at a later date. If I do, an upgrade will be made available here for free. No account or personal information is stored online.
CF_Shop Kart Lite Ver 1.0
I posted this for anyone looking for a basic shopping cart system to use or to build onto. This application allows you to build html pages for each product. Just create a add to cart button (along with some hidden form fields) for each item. The application uses session variables, which makes the cart more secure and faster. A database and admin page are included for storage of orders and customer information. You will use the admin page to retrieve the orders from the database. A checkout process is also included so you can build onto it or change it to fit your needs. To call the checkout process, just create a link to checkout.cfm. The only basic function that this does not include is shipping options and calculations for orders. However, this can easily be added into it. A text file is included with setup instructions.
CF_Shop Kart
I posted this for anyone looking for a basic shopping cart system to use or to build onto. This application allows you to build html pages for each product. Just create a add to cart button (along with some hidden form fields) for each item. The application uses session variables, which makes the cart more secure and faster. A database and admin page are included for storage of orders and customer information. You will use the admin page to retrieve the orders from the database. A checkout process is also included so you can build onto it or change it to fit your needs. To call the checkout process, just create a link to checkout.cfm. The only basic function that this does not include is shipping options and calculations for orders. However, this can easily be added into it. A text file is included with setup instructions.

[Top]

What's New at CFLib.org?

ParagraphFormat2
An "enhanced" version of ParagraphFormat.
QuerySort
Sorts a query using Query of Query.
UPCCheckDigit
Calculates a UPC-A check digit.

[Top]

New Pet Market Blueprint Application

Macromedia has released a "definitive example of rich Internet application development" that you can take apart, study, or even use as the basis of your own online pet store. Comes with a Pet Market FAQ, and a Flash front end for those using a J2EE or .Net architecture.

Pet Market Blueprint Application

[Top]

A Tour of the Pet Market Application

Take a detailed look at the components of the Pet Market application: what they do, how they are coded, and why they are coded that way.

A Tour of the Pet Market Application

[Top]

Pet Market Process Map

This article examines the process the Macromedia team used to build Pet Market. It includes discussions on how the team organized the work and the steps it took to build the app.

Pet Market Process Map

[Top]

Designing Application Interfaces with Macromedia Flash MX

Examine how Pet Market uses the new features of Macromedia Flash MX to create a more visually interesting and easy-to-use interface.

Designing Application Interfaces with Macromedia Flash MX

[Top]

Best Practices for Building Rich Internet Applications with Macromedia Flash MX

Make your Macromedia Flash application clean and optimized. Organize your files and code as outlined in this article.

Best Practices for Building Rich Internet Applications with Macromedia Flash MX

[Top]

Optimize Your Application with Design Patterns

Macromedia Flash Remoting enables communication between the ColdFusion MX server (which does your server side work and provides your business logic) and Macromedia Flash MX (which gives you a rich user interface.) Reduce overhead and increase your coding efficiency by using facade and value object design patterns.

Optimize Your Application with Design Patterns

[Top]

N-tiered Architecture: Let Your Application Grow

The concept of tiered architectures in application development is evolving from a 1- tier approach to an n-tiered approach. While all approaches have their benefits, the nature of web-based applications lend themselves to an n-tiered approach. This article describes some basic tiered architectures and explains some of the benefits of adopting an n-tiered approach to web application development.

N-tiered Architecture: Let Your Application Grow

[Top]

Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software

This is Chapter 1 of a book on Design Patterns written by Dr. Eric Gamma, Dr. Richard Helm, Dr. Ralph Johnson, and Dr. John Vlissides. Find out how to create more flexible, elegant, and ultimately reusable designs when you write object-oriented software.

Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software

[Top]

Ben Forta on Architecture: Introduction to ColdFusion Components

See how CFCs display the power of objects and the simplicity of CFML. This was a reprint of a BF on CF column published in ColdFusion Developer's Journal.

Ben Forta on Architecture: Introduction to ColdFusion Components

[Top]


Views

CF Developer 'Disappointed' in RNIB

by Tom Lommel, Twin Cities CFUG
www.colderfusion.com

The RNIB's test case of the new accessibility features in Flash MX misses the point.

The case study -- found at http://lookloud.bluewave.com/ -- consists of an online game where the user picks out different articles of clothing to dress a cartoon model. Specifically, you try to dress your character in the most outrageous outfit possible.

I doubt Macromedia put screen reading technology into Flash because they wanted to empower more people to play online games with Flash. It's in there so that people can still access sites with Flash-driven menus, forms, data widgets, etc.

Admittedly, Flash has enabled designers to explore some wildly unorthodox interface concepts. However, the desktop metaphor still reigns and Macromedia is attempting to capture the lead in delivering those client-style interfaces for the web.

Therefore, a better test case would be something like Colin Moock's Address Book sample application (http://www.macromedia.com/desdev/mx/flash/articles/addressbook.html), rather than some highly graphical (and largely irrelevant) online game.

The article in The Register stresses how disappointed the RNIB is. However, their only solid complaint is that Flash MX just supports the latest version of a single screen reader.

That's pretty hollow criticism, given that the feature is brand new. Remember five years ago when we all ran CF on Windows?

What the article does show is the uphill battle Macromedia has in convincing everyday users that Flash is more than games and fancy animations.

But that's our battle as well, now isn't it?

Tom Lommel
Manager
Twin Cities CFUG

Tom Lommel is a Certified Advanced ColdFusion 5 Developer and senior consultant with Minnesota-based Jibben Consulting Services, Inc. (www.jibben.com) He has been involved with the Twin Cities CFUG for the past three years as a speaker, member, and manager.

[Top]

Macromedia Versus Microsoft?

Jeremy Lockhorn discusses why he thinks Macromedia is shaping up to be a real competitor to Microsoft with the release of Flash MX. Thanks to Chris Montgomery for passing this along.

Macromedia Versus Microsoft? (ClickZ, June 24, 2002)

[Top]


Reviews

Macromedia's HomeSite 5.0

A review of HomeSite 5.0 which gives it high marks for being the best of the lot, but discusses its shortcomings as well as its excellence. Thanks to Chris Montgomery for passing this along.

HomeSite 5.0 Review (Scot's Newsletter, June 6, 2002)

[Top]

Flash Flood Rising

A very nice review of the advantages of using Flash, the new Flash capabilities most people will be unaware of, and how they help the author generate dynamic ads online. Thanks to Chris Montgomery for bringing this article to our attention.

Flash Flood Rising (ClickZ, June 10, 2002)

[Top]


Knowledge Base

JRun 4.0: Deploying Applications to a JRun Cluster

Cluster creation and application deployment are very simple with JRun 4, and this article explains two ways of deploying an application across a cluster.

JRun 4.0: Deploying Applications to a JRun Cluster

[Top]



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