Review: Ben Forta, Tim Buntel, Dave Gruber Talk CF Shop

Macromedia "Community Week" Macrochat
Thursday, May 20, 3:00 PM EST

Reviewed by Judith Dinowitz

I just sat in on a lively and worthwhile panel on ColdFusion with Ben Forta, Dave Gruber and Tim Buntel. The audience peppered the panel with questions about ColdFusion MX 6.1, Blackstone (the next version of the product) and Macromedia's efforts to promote the use and knowledge of ColdFusion, both as a business solution and as a language. Participants were vocal about the need to make ColdFusion information on Macromedia's website more centralized and accessible.

Here are some highlights of the discussion:

Forta went into detail about the use of multiple instances in ColdFusion, a feature available in ColdFusion MX 6.1 Enterprise. The problem, he explained, was that when you're using a single installation of ColdFusion on a server for many applications, bad code in one application may bring down all ColdFusion applications on that server. Installing multiple instances of ColdFusion on a server will mitigate that problem. Every instance of ColdFusion has its own application.cfm, so a failure of an application on one instance of ColdFusion will not affect other instances on that box.

The panel also addressed the question of a .NET version of ColdFusion. They emphasized that ColdFusion will remain very wedded to the Windows platform, as there is a big demand for ColdFusion on Windows. However, Macromedia has not seen a compelling business case for creating a .Net port. They have seen a compelling business case for .Net integration in ColdFusion. This integration was started with the use of Web Services in ColdFusion MX. Currently, one can get data to and from a .Net application and a ColdFusion application using SOAP and Web Services. This will work except for proprietary data types in either language. There are workarounds for these data types with the use of an XML packet.

Someone asked whether Flex features will be integrated into future versions of ColdFusion. The current thinking at Macromedia is that Flex and ColdFusion are products that can work together, but that will be sold separately.

The audience wanted to know where to find affordable ColdFusion hosting, something that can often make a difference in getting clients to use ColdFusion vs. other technologies.

Forta noted that a comparison of ColdFusion vs. .Net is not really applicable. It's really a question of investing in Java with ColdFusion on top of Java vs. investing in .Net with ASP on top of .Net. The comparison can get quite complicated, and is not easy to debate, especially for people who don't have intimate experience with both systems.

Some news of interest from Macromedia:

1. Macromedia would very much like to publish more case studies of ColdFusion sites and applications. If you'd like your company to be showcased for its use of ColdFusion, please contact Dave Gruber at dgruber@macromedia.com.
2. There has been a reorganization of the ColdFusion Devcenter. The Devcenter now includes a "Getting Started in ColdFusion" resources section, with Robodemo presentations on getting started.
3. Ben Forta will be doing a 30-day CFUG tour starting May 30. A list of the groups he is visiting is available at http://www.forta.com. He will be doing some in-depth demos of Blackstone at these meetings. He will also be at CFUN-04.
4. Macromedia sees that there's a need for more up-front information and is making an effort, especially this coming month, to get out there and provide that information.
5. Macromedia is interested in setting up opportunities at universities and schools to showcase ColdFusion. If you are involved with a school or university, you should get in touch with them and see if something can be set up.

On the whole, I was very impressed with this Macrochat, finding it both honest and informative. I would like to see more direct communication like this between Macromedia and its customers about ColdFusion.

Some of the Macrochats are available for viewing at http://www.markme.com/community/.

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