ColdFusion MX 7.0, expected today, enables feature-rich applications to interact with devices that use different screen sizes, taking Macromedia into a new and potentially massive market.
ColdFusion MX 7.0 connects to devices using a set of seven gateways written in ColdFusion and Java. Gateways cover, among other areas, connection via short message service (SMS), Java Message Service (JMS) and the Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP) standard for Instant Messaging.
Macromedia hopes to depart from ColdFusion’s traditional application server market by targeting a community of an estimated two million consumer devices, running games, and business handsets, with enterprise applications, growing the number of ColdFusion developers.
Dave Gruber, ColdFusion senior product manager said: First we expect our several hundred thousand ColdFusion developers to use this. As the other applications emerge, we expect other [developers] to take a look at [ColdFusion MX 7.0].
Other changes are designed to tackle what Gruber called common internet pain points printing web pages, the ability to format data online, and to create web forms.
To solve the printing problem, ColdFusion converts web content into a printable PDF or Flash Paper format using tags to wrap HTML. On business forms, Macromedia provides a series of templates its says provide reporting functionality without the need to integrate third-party business reporting applications.
Finally, Macromedia now allows developers to use CFML tags to layout Flash content with multiple tabs, grid and tree controls, and calendar widgets. Macromedia believes this will cut the developers’ workload by 75%.
ColdFusion MX 7.0 is available in two editions: standard edition, priced $1,299, for small workgroups, which excludes the gateways, and enterprise edition, priced $5,999. Enterprise edition includes multithreading, application isolation and clustering for scalability and high-performance, along with the gateways.
