Coldfusion may sound like it's from the nuclear age, but it is a
hot skill for e-business, writes Nick Langley
What is it?
Allaire's Coldfusion is a cross-platform Web application server
for developing and delivering scalable e-business sites and other
Internet, intranet and extranet applications. It has its own
integrated development environment, Coldfusion Studio, which
includes visual programming, database, and debugging tools. It's
one of the most in-demand e-business skills.
Where did it originate?
It was first released in 1995, making it one of the longest
established and most widely used Web application servers.
What's it for?
Web applications are developed using Coldfusion Markup Language
(CFML), a server-side scripting language that integrates with HTML,
XML, and other Web languages. Coldfusion Studio includes project
management and source control functionality for team
developments.
Coldfusion Server, the deployment foundation of the Coldfusion
Web application server, provides a runtime environment, database
connectivity, Internet protocol integration, state management,
security, and open integration with other Web servers. It's
designed to work with other popular Web development tools,
including Macromedia Dreamweaver and Netobjects Fusion.
Coldfusion is part of the Allaire Internet Business Platform,
which includes JRun, Spectra and Homesite. Spectra is a packaged
system for content management, e-commerce and personalisation.
Why is it special?
As well as offering a complete solution in their own right, the
Allaire tools have open integration with other generic and
third-party Web technologies.
Is it difficult to master?
Interactive developers build components that interact with data
stored in Allaire's Contentobject database, external SQL databases,
or in systems accessed through object middleware using DCom, Corba,
or Java. Once the interactive developer has built a library of
Contentobjects, they hand them over to site designers who assemble
the Web sites. The designers use a three-tier development model
that separates data, logic, and presentation. Designers must be
familiar with HTML layout and design. They use tag-based components
to drop Contentobjects into pages. Once the designer has assembled
the Contentobjects into sections and page templates, the site
becomes a self-managed system.
Where is it used?
Coldfusion users tend to be large enterprises, although the
company has partners in the systems integration and services
sector, who build sites for customers.
Not to be compared
With cold reality, codfish'n' chips, jazz fusion.
What systems it runs on
Windows NT, Solaris, HP-UX and Linux.
Not many people know
Cold fusion was proposed as an astonishingly cheap,
non-polluting way of producing heat and light, an alternative to
nuclear fission. By contrast, the Internet is an astonishingly
expensive way of producing a great deal of heat, but very little
light.
What's coming up?
Allaire and Adobe recently developed a Coldfusion Extension to
Adobe's Golive 5.0, so that Web developers not familiar with CFML
can create Coldfusion applications using the Golive visual
development environment.
Rates of pay
With a year's Coldfusion, you could be looking at £30,000 to
£35,000. Several City firms have recently been offering £48,000 to
£60,000 for those with Coldfusion among other Web skills. There are
also plenty of advertisers offering training in Coldfusion to
otherwise suitably qualified candidates.
Training
Allaire has a large number of training partners.
Highlander (020-7515 9100) offer Fast track to Coldfusion, a
three-day course at £1,250. Alternatively, you can get a Coldfusion
interactive training CD from greymatter.co.uk at £226.