ColdFusion Reborn

ColdFusion is doomed to ship next month. Professional Edition (the version we tested) would cost $ 799 per server and upgrades, $ 549 per server.

This is a hot product for hot prices especially considering the search engines included in the text and graphics generation.

ColdFusions reasonable prices also gives developers more freedom to prototype applications without fear of deadlock: the ColdFusion code can be run within a Java application server to provide a safe way to growth and "small" applications, which become strategic tools of society.

ColdFusion Server Enterprise Edition (which supports server clustering) costs U.S. $ 4,999 per server, ColdFusion MX for J2EE, the version that runs inside the servers of third-party application, is priced at $ 3,999 per processor. Macromedia JRun (which is integrated in the low-end versions of ColdFusion MX), IBM WebSphere and iPlanet s Sun Microsystems Inc. will initially be supported by ColdFusion MX for J2EE with BEA WebLogic Server certification comes later this year.

ColdFusion MX Server, which runs on Windows, Linux, Solaris or HP-UX, is a bottom-up and re-write the biggest change since ColdFusion was first released. With this release, ColdFusion web pages are not interpreted by a database engine for C-runtime, but now they are compiled into Java bytecode and runs in a Java application server.

Unfortunately, the JSP (JavaServer Pages) or Java is not inserted directly into the ColdFusion pages, although the Cold Fusion can use the JSP custom tag libraries via a special interface and call any JavaBean or a method defined by a file Java class. ColdFusion or JSP pages and servlets can also share the application, session and application variable information.

But the real value of ColdFusion has always been the language, not the server. EWeek Labs believes ColdFusion CFML (ColdFusion Markup Language), the easiest scripting language to learn, and it does not sacrifice power for simplicity (though it is more detailed than Microsoft Corp. Active Server Pages or PHP PHP groups). This update combined with CFML maturity and a superb cross-vendor support of J2EE world.

This change is very strategic for enterprise customers who previously had to balance the rapid development of ColdFusion and the developer base, with its status as a supplier and the additional cost of maintaining and even an application server (especially the one without the support of the industry at large).

During the experiments, we found ColdFusion MX is fully compatible with most ColdFusion applications. Our bookstore Nile reasonably complex reference, written for ColdFusion Server 5.0, running on the first try, when we tested with ColdFusion MX.

There are a number of compatibility of reservations with less common ColdFusion tags, but Macromedia has a tool for analyzing source code that identifies the areas where you can upgrade problems can occur.

ColdFusion MX installer did an excellent job porting options for existing ColdFusion the new model. We were asked to manually edit our Oracle and DB2 data connections for obtaining and running, but this amounted to only a few minutes of work. ColdFusion includes Java Database Connectivity drivers for all major databases.

The portion of C for a Java engine can result in a decrease in performance, but Macromedia has compensated for this by build ColdFusion pages, instead of interpreting them. Macromedia staff said its tests showed similar performance between ColdFusion and ColdFusion MX 5.0, with some functions a little faster and a little slower some MX.

We did their tests, comparing the two using the Nile Bookstore and stated that the ColdFusion MX was actually a bit 'faster for most users to download. We conducted the tests, Quest Software Benchmark Factory Inc.s load testing tool (www.quest.com), and tested one of 100 concurrent users who do not have time to think.
The change of platform is the largest circulation in the long term for ColdFusion MX, but native XML and Web services support, and enhancements CFML are also strong attractions. ColdFusion can still access the Microsoft Component Object Model objects as before in a Java-COM bridge supplied with the product.

XML data objects can be handled as native data types in ColdFusion (like a table) and the server now includes XPath query and XSLT (Extensible Style Language Transformation) properties.

A new component object responds to a weakness of many years in CFML: their inability to encapsulate the code effectively. Components allow inheritance, and function of the components can be converted to SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) Web based simply adding a "remote" attribute to the function.

ColdFusion MX users to find a stable partner for the development of future instruments Macromedias Dreamweaver MX. Dreamweaver MX combines two lines of business development tool, Dreamweaver and HomeSite, a single well-integrated web development tool.

Dreamweaver MX, which runs on Windows and Mac OS offers a Web site and page editing functions in CFML pages, as well as many other types of pages: simple HTML, JSP, ASP, ASP. Net (C # and Visual Basic. NET) and PHP. The package is scheduled to ship later this month to $ 399 per song.

We were regular users of JRun Studio (the home version of the site) has a number of years, and Dreamweaver will be taken on the characteristics of packet editing, automatic tag completion, the database files, navigation and use.

Its interface is a marvel of depth, but at the expense of some clutter folding windows platforms, which have labels, menus that have remained open to see, like a Mandelbrot fractal.

Beta 3 of the Code, that the test was also significantly unstable, crashing several times a day. With a file, the cut consistent text when published. He expressed the hope that these issues will be removed from the final version.

Beas New Direction

The tools are a key component of BEA this year. Although WebLogic Server includes several new tools itself, BEA WebLogic Workshop, sold separately, which really impressed us to the test. WebLogic Workshop and the inventiveness of the graphical style was a surprise, because a development tool that producers lame server applications have a history of producing.

WebLogic Server 7.0 became available April 30 when we finished testing the release candidate, and costs $ 10,000 per CPU. It runs on Windows, most Unix operating systems, OS/400 and OS/390. WebLogic Workshop is scheduled for next month. (BEA has not announced pricing yet.)

In version 7.0 of WebLogic server itself, a new WebLogic Builder tool provides a separate program for deployment descriptors and WebLogic Edition EJBGen a new tool that automatically creates the descriptors of the home interfaces and remote control and the implementation based on JavaDoc comments in the cloud.

Security has been completely revised in WebLogic 7.0, which includes an integrated LDAP user management, a model much better approach than simple text file that has been the default in WebLogic 6.1. Security is now based on the standard Java security (SSPI Security Service Provider Interface), and editor of the policy, it is easier to change the security settings via centralized policy management in one interface.

UDDI (Universal Description, Discovery and Integration) 2.0 server is also the use of internal Web services.

WebLogic Administration Console is largely unchanged from version 6.1 and follow the performance statistics to the lack of object level, for example, the figures indicating the EJB (Enterprise JavaBeans) had a longer treatment.

The main purpose of WebLogic Workshop (and something pleasantly) is wrapping EJB interfaces for networking, database content, Java Message Service queues or other network services. Support for J2EE (Java 2 Enterprise Edition) connectors are designed for shipping a release, but was not present in the beta version we used.

In eWeek Labs' tests, created Web services and connect them to the back-end content very easy to use intuitive interface packages. Graphical tools and source code editor is automatic each other to date, and editor noted for syntax errors in real time.

WebLogic Workshop Web service is a little close attention, leaving general Java and web development space of the tool. Also, as mentioned above, WebLogic Server 7.0 requires to run the applications it generates.

However, WebLogic Workshop run Excel advanced features of J2EE, in particular, message queuing, a surprisingly simple. Tests have shown the influence of space management, automatic data integrity and the generation of EJB, so it's much easier to build complex applications.

In addition, Message service listeners turning Java web service-based cows were as simple as turning a cache option. When we split a synchronous Web service in a two-speed asynchronous service by adding a callback request, all variables within our web application was automatically matched with the message ID Web service and stored or loaded from bean entity created automatically if necessary. Session Manager is completely transparent to our application.

WebLogic Workshop using simple source language metadata tags have popularized the concept. NET, and Bea was smart enough to borrow the concept. This may become more common in the Java world, where the draft of Java Specification Requests 175 and 181 are the Java standard. Currently, WebLogic Workshop Web service labeling system (based on comments javadoc) is not supported by anyone else at risk at an early stage.

WebLogic Workshop uses a loosely coupled Web services interfaces and Java classes. We could for example change the name of Java class names of parameters independently of XML elements or XML structures and use mapping software data clearing system.

This mapping system worked using text placeholders for variable names map Java for XML documents as input or output.

When we have Java, WebLogic Workshop automatically creates the corresponding XML document with placeholders for each parameter of the method. We could then modify the XML code freely, provided that all the placeholders remained.

App Servers Mature

Web application servers have reached an important level of maturity: The market is evolving at a slower pace, and theres a lot more attention to maintaining the servers in production environments and compression, plus the value of existing investments. In addition, application server vendors are increasingly specialized development tools for your access server technology more complex.

This is good news for enterprise IT managers, and clearly show two major releases Application Server: BEA Systems WebLogic Server 7.0 Macromedia ColdFusion MX server Inc.se Inc.s.

The first adds performance and reliability features that provide a stronger basis for WebLogic stores, is a completely new server, which aligns with the space of Macromedia's Java application server.

Because the application server-based scripting language, ColdFusion MX to a much wider and less technical than the market of WebLogic Server. (ColdFusion MX is able to operate within WebLogic by the end of the year). WebLogic is an infrastructure at the application server and requires a lot of rarefied skill set, although the BEA tool for developing a new strategy, the goal is to change just that.

EWeek Labs tested the two application servers as a release candidate, with beta versions of the associated development tools from BEA, and Macromedia, which will help reduce costs and accelerate the development and integration efforts.

Beas latest development kit is an impressive WebLogic Workshop. Macromedia, in turn, release a solid update to the popular forums Dreamweaver, Dreamweaver MX. WebLogic Workshop applications are running WebLogic Server 7.0, so these two elements are much more closely than they are, ColdFusion MX and Dreamweaver MX. Even if ColdFusion users tend to find a better instrument for development there, Dreamweaver MXS strong support for all major web scripting languages ​​means that will appeal to a wide range of web developers.