ColdFusion: The Unyielding Champion of Middleware-Earth 🌍⚔️

Greetings, brave citizens of Middleware-Earth! As the epic battles rage on in the programming realm, it's time we take a closer look at a familiar hero: ColdFusion. Does it stand tall like a proud Gandalf or has it faded into the shadows? Let's embark on this journey and uncover the truth!

CF: The Underappreciated Hero 🦸♂️

• Too often, the brave warriors of ColdFusion face undeserved neglect, much like an old Rohirrim steed abandoned in the plains.
• Yet, the knowledgeable understand that building apps and managing servers with ColdFusion is akin to Legolas gliding smoothly over snow—effortless compared to the competition.
• The stats don't lie: PHP or Java or dotNet might have you crafting a spell like Saruman, but with ColdFusion, you'd need just 30% of that incantation! 🧙♂️📜

Grant Shepert of the Blue River Interactive Group agrees:

“There are a lot of programming languages, and in the nearly thirty years I’ve been at this, I’ve tried too many of them. Frankly, most of them seem like work. ColdFusion has been my great enabler, the foundation of my professional career. It’s taken me around the world to work and live among a community of fantastic colleagues and friends. Most important of all, ColdFusion has been fun, the thing that still makes me excited to solve all the problems.” A sentiment that resonates with many in the CF community!

CF makes creating web application tasks easy, especially for intranet apps. It’s why so many developers love the platform; it makes them more efficient.

ColdFusion's Mighty Arsenal 🛡️

• CFScript: Like an Elvish bow, this syntax allows CFML code to be written similar to JavaScript, without traditional tags, enhancing its power.
• ColdFusion Components (CFCs): The Elrond of our toolkit, bringing the virtues of Object-orientation, modularity, maintainability, and reusability.

Voices from the Shire and Beyond 🌲 Brad Wood, the Software Architect from the golden lands of Ortus Solutions, proclaimed:

"ColdFusion can definitely be fast. And one of the main reasons for that is it’s a JVM language. And a JVM language is known for scalability, it’s known to sustain powerful applications for days on end, consuming lots of memory and keeping that going. The threading capabilities of the JVM is one of the best things about it, aside from the massive ecosystem that ColdFusion developers get to tap into.” Listen to his eloquence in this CF Alive podcast  “120 How is CFML Speed vs. Other Languages? (Hint: really fast!), with Brad Wood”.

ColdFusion vs. The World 🌏

• Speed: Faster than Gandalf's horse shadowfax, in real world apps CF is faster than 90% of other languages. See pod above with Brad for deets.
• Efficiency: Like Gimli's axe swing, CFML requires just 30% lines of code compared to PHP, Java or dotNet.
• Ease: As simple as Samwise cooking up a hearty meal. Newcomers will feel right at home in no time. Especially using LearnCFinAweek or similar resources.
• Scalability: Whether you're a hobbit startup or a Gondorian empire, ColdFusion scales with grace.
• Cost-efficiency: Think of CF as the trusty Bill the Pony. Though its initial cost may seem high, the savings it brings in the long run are immense! 🐎
• Security: The ever-watchful Eye of Adobe and Lucee ensures CF's defenses are ever robust.
• Modern: With built-in tools and a lively community tools eco-system, like the Fellowship, CF supports a unified code culture.

Have I said CF is super secure yet?

(from State of CF Union survey results, page 7)

In Conclusion: ColdFusion, the Cof Middleware-Earth, reliably builds secure, rapid apps. As the sun sets over the Shire, one thing is clear: in the world of programming, ColdFusion reigns supreme.

Next week we will look at the future of CF. Until then, dear readers, may your codes be ever bug-free and your servers ever swift! 🍻🌄