yet another coldfusion blog

First, let me start off by saying I try not to write more than one "editorial" blog a month, simply because I find them distracting and less helpful than say, an actual tutorial or development experience. Being at CFUnited, however, has not only cast some illumination on perceptions (and perhaps misconceptions) I've had, but also those of people I've met.  The particular one that triggers this is the "you're a Railo guy, right?" question that was directed my way last night.  "No, I'm a CF guy" was my reply.

The more I thought about the question, the more irritated I got.  Was that really the perception I've created? I might not always see eye-to-eye with Adobe (true friends never do), but I've always appreciated what they've done for me. So, in a very personal and editorial format, I'd like to discuss in order of priority what it is that I'm passionate about when it comes to ColdFusion.  Let me preface this by stating a) yes, I do understand that many of these are related and interdependent in many ways, and b) that it absolutely is a matter of perspective.

1. Community

I am a CF Community guy.  As with any language, it will live and die by the strength and passion of the community.  The ColdFusion community has matured greatly in the past 5-10 years, influenced by several factors.  First, there is the growth of open source projects (apparently a very real connection to this stems from a post Adam Lehman made back in 2002), and the efforts by people like Charlie Arehart, Brian Rinaldi, and many many other in fostering collaborative and cooperative development. Second is the tireless (seriously, do you guys sleep) work of guys like Ray Camden, Ben Nadel, and (again) many others who promote learning through discovery, tutorials and shared code.

To me growth of the community is the first and most paramount goal for CF. We have the foundation, so we now need to expand our horizons.  That means everybody in the community (yes, I'm looking at you) has to contribute.  Blogs, simple or complex tutorials, attending CFUGS or podcasts, or just talking about why you like ColdFusion will help.  Get to it!

2. The Language

CFML is a rich, powerful and friendly language to use.  I've done so for 15 years, and will do so as long as it continues to respect the needs of the environment, i.e. speed, ease-of-use and growth.  The stewards for the language have changed over the years, and it has continued to *mostly* impress.  Sure, there are distractions that have come along, and perhaps a bit of wtf really? language-padding to distract us, but for the most part the efforts have been stellar.  I was greatly let down by the failure of the CFML Advisory Group to find common ground, but I also understand that many of the players had very different agendas and perspectives.  Lets hope that we haven't seen the end of this effort.

3. Adobe

I feel very strongly that without Adobe, ColdFusion would probably fade into the absolute periphery of web development.  Adobe has always invested a great deal of time and interest in forming strong bonds with the community, and I appreciate the work they've done in maturing the language.  Yes, they are absolutely in it for the money ... they are a corporation after all ... but I don't know ANY CF developers who work with the language strictly as a hobby.  The fact is they give a lot back, really do care about the community, and deserve a lot of respect and thanks for what they have given us.  And Adam, thank you for the "Car Wash" story, it did bring insight into your perspective on the matter.

4. Mura

Wtf really? might be reaction to the fact that Mura made my list.  This begins with a personal perspective. Mura quite literally saved me from becoming a RoR developer after my frustration with not being able to find a stable, reliable and easily extensible OS CMS for ColdFusion (yes, I'm aware of the other one, but because it is the one that drove me towards abandoning CF I won't bother to name it).  The other reason it is in my "Top 5" list is because it is a fantastic foundation for building client websites, and has made my business infinitely more profitable (not to mention my development much, much more enjoyable).  Thanks, Blue River!

5. Railo

Adobe probably won't like seeing this on the list, and Railo won't like being this low, but tough it's my list.  Railo is important because it lets the small-footprint web development companies that might otherwise start with PHP or RoR begin with CFML.  In the early days it was very tough selling the ColdFusion license fee, and I definitely lost work because of it.  Now a days, thanks mainly to the support and education offered and sponsored by Adobe, my typical client can afford (and in the corporate world, even appreciate) the license fee.

But, to Railo: it's free, robust, well supported, cared for, and free.  I do appreciate Adobe's (and Adam's) perspective of divided markets and competition within a smaller community, but I also appreciate the fact that small start-ups will be able to become profitable much more quickly using Railo.  Now, does (or will) Railo contribute back to the community in the same way and percentage that Adobe does?  The pessimist in me says no, but the optimist in me hopes that Railo will introduce enough growth in the community that everybody ... including their biggest competitor ... will profit from it.

So, that's my list of priorities in terms of passion (and defensiveness) for CFML.  I always hope that dialogue remains true and honest and respectful, and saying that also acknowledge I can be a bit of a smart-ass when defending my perspectives on what will make our community and language stronger (I'll work on that).  Passion can easily lead to anger, but hopefully it comes out of love for the community and language rather than from resentment and anti-competitiveness.  And just as hopefully we can all (yes, I'm looking at you, Adobe and Railo, and yes Mr. Woodward Open Blue Dragon too) find common ground where we find growth, success and friendly competition are an every day affair.