I seem to be the exception rather than the rule around here. I am NOT a graphic
artist/webmaster learning his first programming language. I am a trained programmer
with years of experience programming many different systems.
I probably know more computer languages than many of you have heard of ( Cold Fusion,
Java, Perl, PHP, SQL, Javascript, HTML, C++, C, Basic, LISP, Forth, Fortran, TCL/Tk,
Pascal, Modula-2, COBOL, SNOBOL, Prolog, APL, HyperCard, Bash/SH/CSH/KSH, Bliss,
Assembly: Intel, M68000, Z80, 6502, and many many more)
For me Cold Fusion's appeal is NOT it's easy learning curve (although it IS easy to
learn). It is that it is the FASTEST development environment available to me for
producing bug-free, efficient, powerful web sites.
I don't develop in ASP/VB because it is an ugly, error prone language that slows me
down with too many details.
I don't develop (much) in Java because, while it's a beautiful well designed language,
it also slows me down with too many unimportant details.
I also love Perl for it's power (though pity the newcomer trying to learn it :-) ) but
again, it is not the optimal web programming environment.
In Cold Fusion I can GET THE JOB DONE. All my customers care about is that I deliver
the best possible web site in the shortest time for the least cost. Cold Fusion let's
me do that. My customers are happy, so I am happy.
In Cold Fusion I can hand off components of a site to junior programmers and they will
be very productive.
And in Cold Fusion I can switch from WinNT/Win2K hosting to Linux hosting to Solaris
hosting if I need to with a minimum of trouble. I can also switch from SQL Server to
Sybase to Oracle with a minimum of trouble. Try THAT in ASP!
Sorry to rant, but, yes, in my opinion CF is more relevant than ever.
At 05:31 PM 4/20/01 -0400, Joseph Grossberg wrote:
>You brought up and interesting point, and Neo will be a big boost to CF,
>IMHO, and I'll be psyched when it arrives. But if someone knows Java, why
>not just use JRun at that point? Also, Allaire doesn't seem to have a
>concrete date for CF Server 5 release, much less Neo (a.k.a. version 6).
>
>However, while I think that some additional stuff CF does is good (e.g.
>integration with Flash; I think the MM/Allaire merger is very
>complimentary), it seems like it's just way behind on other things. I mean,
>even Perl programmers can use OOP and XML if they want to, but it's not
>necessary. With CF, you don't even have that option. ColdFusion just seems
>like it's always a step (or more) behind the competing technologies.
>
>I also don't like the fact that we're basically depending on one vendor for
>everything except a smattering of custom tags and minor third-party
>applications. If something in Perl or Python doesn't work, someone fixes it
>soon. If something in ASP or Java doesn't work, then MS or Sun fixes it (or
>another company will sell it, because the market is large enough). But since
>Allaire is solely responsible for CF Studio, CF Server, Spectra, JRun, etc.,
>it seems like we're putting all our eggs in one basket. Like, "Oh, your
>upgrade to CF Server 4.5 broke your CFHTTP / CFFTP / CFMAIL tag? Well you
>have to downgrade to 4.0 or just wait ... until ... whenever we finally
>release 5.0 ... assuming it's fixed then."
>
>Like I said, I think CF has its plusses and minuses, but it just seems less
>compelling to me by the month.
>
>Joe
>
>
>>From: "Derek Hamilton" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>>Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>>To: CF-Talk <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>>Subject: Re: Is CF still relevant?
>>Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2001 13:40:36 -0700
>>
>>A couple thoughts...
>>
>>Don't you think Neo/Java will enable CF to pull in other developers and let
>>those of us that know Java expand what we would typically do with CF?
>>Also,
>>don't you think that Allaire now being Macromedia will enhance it's staying
>>power and entice more developers to learn CF?
>>
>>At our company we use CF because it is fast to develop with. No other
>>language we've found has been so fast AND powerful.
>>
>>Derek Hamilton
>>Systems Developer
>>
>>
>>----- Original Message -----
>>From: "Joseph Grossberg" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>>To: "CF-Talk" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>>Sent: Friday, April 20, 2001 12:27 PM
>>Subject: Is CF still relevant?
>>
>>
>> > Now, before you dismiss this as a troll, please let me elaborate. This
>>isn't
>> > so much an instigation or a whine as it is a call for us to take a step
>>back
>> > and reevalutate things periodically.
>> >
>> > Over the course of my career as a web programmer/developer, I have
>>worked
>> > with a variety of sever-side languages and technologies: ColdFusion,
>>ASP,
>> > JSP, PHP, Perl and Python. I like some more than others, but I'm not an
>> > evangelist for any; they each have their uses. And I recognize some of
>>CF's
>> > strengths: easy to learn for people who know only tag-based HTML or
>>don't
>> > have significant programming experience; built-in admin tool;
>>specialized
>> > editor; comes with pre-built tags and web-based administrator. There are
>> > also major flaws: broken/sketchy tags; no XML parsing; not OOP;
>>relatively
>> > small community; etc.
>> >
>> > Right now, I work at a web development firm that is primarily "a CF
>>house"
>> > (besides me). Our more senior programmers are looking at honing their CF
>> > skills, while our less experienced webmasters are trying to learn
>> > ColdFusion. But, I can't help but wonder whether they are wasting their
>> > time. Would they be better off spending their time learning ASP, Java or
>> > another non-CF solution? Why or why not?
>> >
>> > And how would we tell if and when it was time to give up CF and try
>> > something else, as all but the most stubborn experts in also-ran
>>languages
>> > (Ada, SmallTalk), applications (Netscape, Lotus Notes) and Operating
>>Systems
>> > (Amiga) have resignedly done?
>> >
>> > Lastly, why do *you* still use CF? Is it because it's what you're best
>>at,
>> > and you don't want to try something new (where, temporarily, you'd be a
>> > novice again)? Is it because your ccompany's legacy code is all in CF?
>>Is
>>it
>> > because you genuinely think that ColdFusion is, generally speaking, the
>>best
>> > solution for web application development in 2001?
>> >
>> > Joe
>> >
>>
>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Structure your ColdFusion code with Fusebox. Get the official book at
http://www.fusionauthority.com/bkinfo.cfm
Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/
Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/index.cfm?sidebar=lists
