ColdFusion: With ColdFusion, you can build and deploy powerful web applications and services with far less training time and fewer lines of code than ASP, PHP, and JSP. Version 7.0 introduces powerful new application services including rich Flash forms generation, structured reports, and dynamic generation of printable documents. Coupled with version 6.1’s simplified installation and migration, updated key features, and increased in runtime performance, these features open up a new world of applications beyond the browser.
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What is ColdFusion?
ColdFusion is a program based on the CFMX programming language that builds and deploys powerful web applications and services. With proven tag-based methodology, ColdFusion’s features allow web developers to easily harness the power of the Java Platform to deliver powerful Internet applications to millions of people worldwide. ColdFusion is a server side language, which is executed by a ColdFusion application server. It works by executing CFM templates (which is a mixture of HTML and ColdFusion instructions) to return normal HTML to the requesting browser. The ColdFusion MX Enterprise software suite provides all the necessary software to create large-scale websites, applications, and hosting environments, and is available for either a stand-alone installation for web developers or for industry-level deployment on J2EE application servers.
The true power of ColdFusion Markup Language (CFML)
The core functionality of ColdFusion Markup Language (CFML) is centered on the use of tags. These server scripting tags give ColdFusion its speedy development applications for the web. CFML is quite simple to learn, but is powerful enough to handle even the most complex and demanding web applications. Processed entirely on the server, CFML uses syntax closely resembling that of HTML and XML. CFML consists of two primary language elements: tags and functions. Tags let you perform operations such as accessing a database. Functions can return data and do other operations like retrieving the system date. Tags, functions and operators make up expressions. Building expressions in ColdFusion is easy and can include simple as well as complex elements. The ways in which these expressions and elements are used determine how ColdFusion processes your program.
Is ColdFusion easy to learn?
Out of the many different methods used to develop and build web applications, pages, and services, ColdFusion is by far the easiest to learn and use. For ColdFusion 7.0, Macromedia has created a helpful ‘Getting Started Experience’ interface that gives the new user access to tutorials, whitepapers, topic index, and even two sample applications to play with.
There is no other language or product as well suited to web developers as ColdFusion. Easy-to-use visual tools and an intuitive server scripting environment allow new users to easily pick up the CFML language.
Windows, UNIX, or Linux…which Should I Use To Run My Website?
Macromedia ColdFusion MX supports most operating systems including Windows, Unix, Linux, IBM AIX and HP-UX. Below is a list of operating system versions and system requirements for the latest ColdFusion version:
Windows OS Intel Pentium processor or higher 256 MB RAM but 512 MB is highly recommended 400 MB of hard disk space available Works on MS Windows 98 / ME / NT 4 / SP6A / 2000 /SP3 / XP/ 2003
Linux OS Intel Pentium processor or higher 256 MB RAM but 512 MB is highly recommended 400 MB of hard disk space available Red Hat Linux 7.2 / 7.3 / 8.0 / 9 / AS & ES 2.1 / AS & ES 3.0 SuSE Linux 7.2 / 7.3 / or 8X Turbo Linux 8 Server ( Japanese Only)
Unix SPARC, PA-RISC 1.1 / 2.0 / Power 3 processor Sun Solaris 7 / 8 / 9 256 MB RAM but 512 MB is highly recommended 400 MB of hard disk space available HP-UX 11i IBM AIX 5L 4.3 / 3 / 5.1 / 5.2 Apple Mac OS X
What Databases and Web Servers are supported with ColdFusion?
ColdFusion MX supports most major databases including Microsoft SQL, Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, IBM DB2, Sybase and IBM Informix. In addition, CFMX can run on most major web servers including IIS, Apache and Sun One.
What are the differences between the ColdFusion 7.0 editions?
Standard Edition: This edition is for single web application or small workgroup environments. It builds accessible, high-quality rich forms, transforms existing HTML content into PDF or FlashPaper 2 formats, creates structured business reports for workgroup applications, delivers charts and graphs, and increases text searching capabilities.
Enterprise Edition: This edition is ideal for the quickly growing business. It includes all the features of the Standard Edition as well as scalability, performance, and enterprise management capabilities for larger web and business applications. The Enterprise Edition has multi-instance deployment and management, clustering, high-speed enterprise database drivers, server security J2EE packaging and deployment, and high-performance e-mail delivery. Yet the most anticipated feature of this edition is the event gateway, which enables ColdFusion applications to connect to mobile phones and instant messaging.
How does ColdFusion run on application servers?
The ColdFusion MX runtime environment is actually a Java application that takes advantage of the many powerful services in the J2EE platform. What this J2EE platform does is connects the various databases, manages its own security, as well as processes the requests sent in by the application itself. When ColdFusion MX is installed in the J2EE configuration, the compiled infrastructure will be on top of the application server in order to execute the language’s applications. This configuration will allow developers to cultivate and set out pages, as well as manage the MX server settings using the ColdFusion Administrator.
What are the advantages & disadvantages of using custom tags in ColdFusion?
Using custom tags within ColdFusion has its advantages and disadvantages. Custom tags written in CFML primarily try to achieve a simple balance between three aspects; taking argument statements, having body tags begin and end with the appropriate tag, and ensuring proper processing when a beginning tag is encountered by the ColdFusion program. If designed properly, these custom tags will also be able to be called recursively (meaning that it will have the functionality to call itself within the body tag). Although a custom tag in ColdFusion will call a page included the CFinclude tag, the disadvantage is that the code must be recursive, have developed complex functionality, and must be convenient for others (although often times code is not convenient). If creating either a User Defined Function (UDF) or a custom CFML tag, weigh the options carefully, since invoking a UDF requires less system overhead than using a custom tag.
What are the new features for ColdFusion 7.0?
ColdFusion 7.0 brings a whole new level of features to developers. With better web application creation, new server management and deployment options, and a new class of applications, users are able to quickly create powerful Internet applications without spending a lot of time or money.
Macromedia developed the new features to help web developers be more efficient in performing routine tasks such as structured business reporting, Flash-rich forms, and PDF and FlashPaper 2 document generation. ColdFusion Report Builder, a tool that helps users develop detailed business reports, will create sub reports, charts and graphs, automatically generate subtotals, and much more. ColdFusion 7.0 simplifies the form building process with the new Rich Flash and XML Forms capabilities. The new CFDOCUMENT feature eliminates chopping page printing with a single tag that transforms web pages into PDF or FlashPaper 2 formats.
How do I purchase my own copy of ColdFusion?
The ColdFusion MX suite is available directly from Macromedia, local computer software resellers, licensing programs and some web hosts.
Becoming A Web Hosting Reseller.
So you would like to get into the lucrative business of being a web hosting provider. Welcome to the club. There are many companies and individuals trying to break into the web hosting resellers market today. Reselling web hosting services offers you the ability to start your own internet-based business selling web space, but without the hassles or monetary expense of managing your own equipment.
But now that you’ve made that decision, what do you do? Where do you even start when it comes to creating a new business for this purpose? I hope to provide you with guidelines that can help you to achieve your goals.
The first thing to do is decide on what it is you wish to offer. Some resellers just want to offer hosting solutions for a cheap price hoping that they can make money on quantity. Alternatively, other resellers are design firms who have decided to offer hosting to augment their design offerings as well as open the door for additional customers. There are many reasons for becoming a reseller, and a multitude of options that can be offered to your customers. It is a very good idea to know who your prospective customer is before you even get started.
In addition to deciding on what it is you wish to offer, the next step is to consider how you want to offer it. Many resellers offer different flavors of reseller hosting. Here are a couple of the more common varieties:
• Agent Partners – This is when you become a “partner” with a web host, and resell their services. It is your job to find the customers, and when they sign up they become customers of your web host. You earn a recurring commission on the services they purchase. It is well known that you are not the actual hosting provider, just a partner.
• Private Label – If you would like your customers to believe that you are the actual provider, or do not wish for them to know whose services you resell then this is the option for you. The actual provider will supply you with the information you need and the appropriate tools to transparently offer their services as your own. It is not common knowledge that you are a reseller or whose services you resell.
Once you have decided who you will cater to and what kind of image you would like to portray, the next step would be to begin to research hosting providers who can accommodate your wishes. For example, if you wish to offer services for ASP developers, you will need to find a hosting provider who offers windows-based hosting and who can offer the reseller program you desire.
Selecting a provider may not be as simple as it sounds. There are many hosts available to choose from, some better than others. It is highly recommended that you find some references from the ones that match your intentions, to help narrow down your selection.
Once you have selected a provider you need to decide what you want your website to consist of. If you are skilled in web design, then you have an edge in this arena. Most do not, however, and need to employ web designers to build their site for them.
By becoming familiar with the options available by your provider, and by researching other web reseller’s websites, you can build a site map of how your web site should be architected. If you will be having a web design firm handle creation of the website for you, this is imperative if you would like receive an all-inclusive quote.
Be sure you know what it is you want from your designer. Some of them will offer services such as logo design and banner ad creation, as well. Ask for example work and references. It is also helpful if your designer has experience with web hosting sites. First impressions are everything when it comes to web hosting customers, so this is very important. You want to make sure to select a firm that can deliver what it is you need, with professional quality and at a fair price.
Once your site it created, your final step is advertising. You can have a professionally designed website and outstanding hosting plans to sell, but without proper advertising your potential customers will never know you exist. There are many ways to advertise on the internet. These include submitting your website to search engines, doing direct advertising with select web sites, and banner advertising with different exchanges. You will need to weigh the benefits of each along with your budget.
By following the above guidelines, you should be well on your way to a constructive and profitable web hosting venture. This is not to say that these guidelines are a sure-fire way to become an instant success. Any successful business requires effort and dedication. But by taking these guidelines and applying the right amount of good old-fashioned hard work and determination, you have the makings of lucrative venture.
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