Writing web applications in 1995 is a nightmare. You're usually stuck with C or Perl using the CGI (Common Gateway Interface). You have to manually parse headers, handle form data, and build your SQL queries string-by-string. It’s error-prone, slow to develop, and a pain to maintain.
Then comes ColdFusion.
Tags, Not Code
JJ Allaire had a brilliant realization: if people are already comfortable with HTML tags, why not give them a set of tags to interact with a database? ColdFusion (originally DBML) uses tags that look just like HTML but execute on the server.
<!--- A simple ColdFusion database query --->
<CFQUERY NAME="GetProducts" DATASOURCE="MyStore">
SELECT Name, Price FROM Products WHERE Category = 'Electronics'
</CFQUERY>
<ul>
<CFOUTPUT QUERY="GetProducts">
<li>#Name# - #Price#</li>
</CFOUTPUT>
</ul>
It’s so simple it feels like cheating. You don't need to worry about memory management or socket handling. You just write your tags, and the ColdFusion server handles the rest.
Connecting the Enterprise to the Web
Before this, getting a database on the web was a "big project" for the IT department. With ColdFusion, a savvy marketing person who knows a little HTML can build a dynamic catalog in an afternoon. It uses ODBC to talk to almost any database, from Microsoft Access to Oracle.
The Future of Web Dev
Some "hardcore" programmers sneer at ColdFusion, calling it a "toy." But I see it differently. It’s a tool that focuses on productivity. In the fast-moving world of the web, being able to ship a working application in a week instead of a month is a massive advantage.
We're moving toward a world where the web isn't just for static documents. It’s for applications. ColdFusion is the first tool that really understands that transition.
Aunimeda develops websites and web applications for businesses - corporate sites, e-commerce, portals, and custom platforms.
Contact us to discuss your web project. See also: Web Development, E-commerce Development