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ISSUE 7/1/2009 PDF

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A knockout blow for Borland?
MicroFocus has upped its offer for Borland Software to $1.50, hoping to chase off a mystery suitor also pursuing the ALM vendor.
07/06/2009 12:26 PM EST

Is the mystery Borland suitor Serena?
Borland software is considering an offer from another company after a preliminary deal with MicroFocus. Is Serena the new company?
06/30/2009 01:55 PM EST

Windows 7 - An eBayer's dream product?
Windows 7 pre-orders can make people money on eBay.
06/29/2009 03:48 PM EST

 

Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conf.
7/13/2009 to 7/16/2009
New Orleans
Microsoft

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7/20/2009 to 7/24/2009
San Jose
O'Reilly Media

XBRL Technology Workshop & Summit
7/28/2009 to 7/30/2009
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XBRL US

ACM SIGGRAPH
8/3/2009 to 8/7/2009
New Orleans
ACM SIGGRAPH

OpenSource World (formerly LinuxWorld)
8/12/2009 to 8/13/2009
San Francisco
IDG World Expo


 
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From the Editors: Don’t Give ColdFusion The Cold Shoulder


By SD Times News Team
August 15, 2007 — 
Some people insist that the World of Web Development can be divided into two primary application server platforms: There’s Java, and there’s .NET.

While this glosses over the many small and niche technologies, it also ignores a popular third way: ColdFusion.

Yes, it’s proprietary, and yes, it’s been around seemingly forever—since 1995, to be precise. But while ColdFusion may not have the huge market clout of Microsoft’s technologies, or the broad range of app servers using Java EE, ColdFusion remains popular, and for good reason. In fact, 14,000 developers actively participated in the ColdFusion 8 public beta, according to Adobe.

The beta is over; version 8.0 is out. And the prevailing opinion at SD Times is that it looks like Adobe has done the right things with it. Here is why.

ColdFusion’s ColdFusion Markup Language (CFML) is comparable to C#, PHP, Python and JSP and a JavaScript-like language called CFScript that supports embedded scripts. CFML was designed with the Web in mind and resembles HTML—familiar territory for Web developers. CFScript is now more Ecma-compliant.

ColdFusion 8.0 has a number of crossovers and capabilities that bring it up to speed with the “other” Web technologies. For starters, it supports the latest versions of Java and Red Hat’s JBoss application server. On the other side of the hat, it now offers .NET integration.

Support for AJAX widgets has brought ColdFusion into the Web 2.0 era. There are debugging features that can be used inside of Adobe’s Eclipse-based Flex Builder IDE, new integrations with databases and Microsoft Exchange, and some image manipulation functions.

Meanwhile, ColdFusion has received an injection of Adobe’s DNA. Code updates enable integration with Adobe PDF forms and Macromedia Breeze presentations.

While ColdFusion may not be the solution for every organization, we are glad to see that people still have a choice, and that there’s a third way available for Web developers.

Haven’t We Heard This Before?
During the 1980 presidential debates, Ronald Reagan would stop what he perceived as Jimmy Carter’s attempts at revising his record as president by declaring, “There you go again.”

So we believe it is our duty to say to Microsoft, “There you go again,” as the company starts talking about a 2010 release date for the next version of its flagship desktop operating system, now being called Windows 7.

To avoid any similar collective amnesia about Microsoft’s record, Windows Vista, under the code name Longhorn, was first discussed in the media in 2001, with a target date of 2003. Microsoft made subsequent statements regarding feature changes to the operating system in 2002 and 2003, and then, in 2004, Bill Gates indicated a 2006 release date for Longhorn. It didn’t actually become commercially available until earlier this year.

Microsoft “leaked” the information about Windows 7 at its Global Exchange conference in late July, perhaps to avoid having to answer questions about whether that release date was realistic based on technology, or was merely being slipped out to steal some of the thunder from future competitive products. Microsoft, after all, loves to get customers talking about what it’s going to do next…even years in advance.

For now, Windows 7 is nothing more than talk, and possibly empty talk. To expect Microsoft to hit the release date it now has set is pure folly. Check back in a couple years, and let’s see where they are. In the meantime, keep those Windows XP and Windows Vista licenses up to date; you’ll be using them for a good while longer.


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