help you pick which talks you want to go to. Here is the first interview
Michael Smith: Matt I see you are giving a talk on "What's New in CFML" at CFUN-
04. Why should a programmer learn what is new, doesn't the old CFML work ok?
Matt Liotta: Absolutely, there is nothing wrong with the old CFML. However, one
shouldn't discount the new capabilities present in CFML. These new capabilities
remove hassles for certain types of applications, make it easier to write well
structured code, and support the latest technologies such as XML and web
services. In a nutshell, the CFML developers' toolbox has been expanded in a
very big way, so why not take advantage of that in your everyday work?
MS: Are any existing CFML tags or functions changed in CFMX?
ML: Most of the big changes are related to new tags and functions. There have
been changes to existing tags and functions, but most of those changes are
either additional attributes or parameters. Also, there are some newly
deprecated tags and functions as well as specific attributes of certain tags
that are no longer supported. The full details of which are of course included
in my presentation.
MS: Deprecated? Obsolete? What is that all about?
ML: Well, deprecated and obsolete seem to be overloaded terms these days!
Basically, the situation is that certain tags and functions simply no longer
work (that is they are obsolete). While others still work, but aren't
recommended for use in new applications since they could stop functioning in
future releases (that is deprecated). Clearly, being aware of what functionality
fits this description is important if one ever plans to upgrade to a newer
version.
MS: I have heard that the new CFC tags in CFMX are cool. But what are CFCs
about?
ML: CFCs or ColdFusion Components as they are formally called, are one of the
new language features that make it easier to write well structured code as I
alluded to earlier. They are clearly the biggest change in CFML in a long time
and most likely one of the more important changes. So, if you are a CFML
developer and haven't learned about CFCs, now is the time since many new
applications will make use of them. Unfortunately, my presentation will only
provide a basic overview of CFCs since there is so much new stuff in CFML to
cover. Therefore, I recommend that anyone interested in CFCs also attend one of
the presentations that covers CFCs in-depth such as Ray Camden's talk.
MS: Yes Ray is Mr CFC! What about XML support? I have heard a lot about XML
recently from Java jocks and wondered if CF can keep up.
ML: Everything you can do with XML in Java you can do in CFML; only easier. I
certainly cover in my presentation the changes made to CFML for XML support, but
like CFCs, I don't really cover it in-depth. There really is so much new stuff
that it is hard to pack it all into a single presentation.
MS: That seems to be a recuring theme - CF is as powerful as Java but much
easier to code in. But what if you need a special Java library call - can CFML
do that?
ML: Certainly you can call a Java library from CFML. There are issues to be
aware of in regard to method names, overloading, and casting, but unfortunately,
none of these specifics will be covered in my presentation. Last year at CFUN-03
I gave a presentation that covered these issues. See
http://www.cfconf.org/cfun-03/Topics.cfm#Liotta
MS: What about web services?
ML: Much like XML, CFML now provides rich support for web services. I would have
to say that there is no other platform that provides an easier way to make use
of web services. Again, my presentation doesn't get into all the details of web
services, but luckily I am giving an additional presentation specifically on web
services that covers the gamut.
MS: I have heard that CFMX is slower than CF 5 to compile. Is that a problem?
ML: Considering CF 5 didn't use a compiler at all, while CFMX does there is
certainly overhead in that regard. The good news is that compiler performance
has been vastly improved with the release of CFMX 6.1 to the point where most
people don't notice. It is also important to point out that the compiler
overhead is not something you need to worry about in production since CFMX only
needs to compile the code once. Additionally, for those people who prefer the
interpreted approach previous taken by CF 5, New Atlanta's BlueDragon may be
interesting.
MS: Are they are any other cool things in CFML that you can mention? What about
CF7?
ML: Well... there is the new authentication and charting functionality as well
as performance and functional improvements to HTTP and SMTP handling. BlueDragon
also has some interesting enhancements worth noting like cfimap and cfimage.
Guess you'll have to attend to the talk to learn about them all.
MS: I think that after this session I will have a lot more power at my CF finger
tips! Thanks for talking with me.
CFUN-04 is Sat 6/26/04 - Sun 6/27/04 in Washington DC area. It costs $199 until
3/31/04 then $269. For more information on CFUN and Matt see
http://www.cfconf.org/cfun-04/
---
What's New in CFML by Matt Liotta
Recent years have seen significant changes to CFML that many developers are
still trying to get a grip on. From new language constructs such as CFCs to
support for the latest buzzwords XML and web services, CFML is more powerful
than ever. This presentation will provide both an introduction to all the
changes in the CFML language and a look at how existing functionality has
changed. If you are still using CF 5 or earlier and are looking for the benefits
of upgrading or you have already upgraded and are trying to make sense of what's
new then this presentation might just be for you.
Matt Liotta started his development career at the age of twelve by building C
applications for faculty at Emory University. He built his first web page soon
after the release of Mosaic 1.0. Excited by early web applications, Matt saw the
potential to replace legacy client server applications. At Emory University he
built an enterprise calendaring system, the faculty poster project, a Y2K
compliance tracking application, and a prototype for an electronic research
administration system. Since then he worked with an early ASP, Cignify, to build
their transaction processing system for payroll time data.
Matt did consulting around San Francisco for companies such as Williams Sonoma
and Yipes Communications. Soon after, he built gMoney's Group Transaction System
using an innovative XML messaging architecture that matches conceptually with
the now popular web services paradigm. Later at TeamToolz, he designed a highly
secure and scalable network architecture to support N-tier transport agnostic
distributed applications. He then went on to implement a cutting-edge content
management system for DevX. He is now President & CEO of Montara Software, which
he founded recently.
---------------------------------------------------------------
CFUN is organized by TeraTech who received four CFDJ awards.
If you need ColdFusion project help, mentoring or training
then ask the experts at http://www.teratech.com/
Best Consulting - TeraTech
Finalist Training - TeraTech
Finalist Community site - CFConf
Finalist Web Dev Tool - CFXGraphicsServer
---------------------------------------------------------------
This year's conference has 32 nationally known speakers including Charlie
Arehart, Steve Drucker, Raymond Camden, Hal Helms, Michael Smith, Michael Dinowitz,
Simon Horwith and Shlomy Gantz.
CFUN-04 Washington DC area 6/26 - 6/27/04:
* Learn CF MX, Flash and more!
* Network with your peers and top national speakers
* Have fun exploring what is new from Macromedia
Tracks:
* Advanced Topics - for gurus, XML, CFCs, SQL
* MX Integration - Flash, Java, Flex, .Net, Webservices
* Empowered Programming - OO, Fusebox, PM, Testing, Debug
* CF Bootcamp - for beginners in CF and Flash
* Accessibility - making sites that disabled people can use, section 508
Pricing schedule - register today to save!
* Just $199 Early Bird Price from 1/1/04 - 3/31/04
* Ok $269 Regular Price 4/1/04 - 6/15/04
* Opps $299 Late Registration 6/15/03 - 6/25/03
* Onsite $350
Register today
http://www.cfconf.com/CFUN-04/
--
Michael Smith, TeraTech Inc - Tools for Programmers(tm)
TeraTech voted Best Consulting Service by CFDJ readers!
CF/ASP Web, VB, Math, Access programming tools and consulting
405 E Gude Dr Ste 207, Rockville MD 20850 USA
Please check out http://www.teratech.com/ - email mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED],
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