yet another coldfusion blog

I have a simple rule when it comes to writing to the database; it should be considered like spanking a child:

• Only do it when it is really, absolutely necessary
• Feel a little guilty every time you do it
• If you are doing it too often, seek professional help

Sure, this is a little tongue-in-cheek, but there is a pretty serious side to it to. The other day on Slashdot I saw a discussion on managing open file/record locks in a database, and a 'marked informative' suggested solution was to update a date field in the database every 10 seconds via Ajax, with an overall 30 second window to allow for network failures/etc.  In other words, what was proposed (and popularized) was that every active record should call home every 10 seconds merely to say somebody is looking at it.  Gads!!!!!  This would add a huge amount of wasted database processing to an application and performance drain on a grand scale (especially if it required transactions and/or write locks).

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I started writing CFML in Homesite over a decade ago, and continued using it until CFEclipse finally lured me away last year.  Recent changes (i.e. the unfortunate decision to update my Eclipse install into something that now tosses Exceptions out like candies in a parade, no matter how many times I wipe the slate clean and reinstall) has more or less pushed me into using ColdFusion Builder as my full-time IDE.  I'm supposedly switching to my Mac soon (I've been saying that since April), so I may switch back once there, but for now I am pushing through with CF Builder.

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I love epiphanies; for me they are a big part of what makes coding fun.  Sure, one man's epiphany is another's old saw, but a personal discovery is still a reward in itself.

So, while this may be obvious to others (and its obviously been doable for ages), this little discovery has proven quite rewarding.  Basically its using <cfmodule> as a scope-safe view for a content-type bean.

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An interesting perspective raised in ColdFusion Panel last week (https://admin.na3.acrobat.com/_a204547676/p34336028/) is that the introduction of Railo, an open-source engine that supports the bulk of the ColdFusion language (as well as introducing alternate features), will perhaps fragment the CF community.

For the record I strongly disagree with this sentiment, though I admit I understand where the statement draws from.

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I've used a UK-based site as a casual resource on ColdFusion vs. the world in regards to day rates, available jobs, etc. and thought it might be worth sharing for those who have never seen it.

http://www.itjobswatch.co.uk/contracts/uk/coldfusion%20developer.do

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