This is a follow-on to my previous post.

As CFML developers start to learn Java and move into the realm of Spring and Hibernate, it is very important to stop and ask "What Is ColdFusion?".  ColdFusion, since CFMX, has been a J2EE application running within a J2EE server (JRun, JBoss, Tomcat, Websphere, etc.).  This is important because thinking of ColdFusion like this lets us expand our mind to what we can really do with ColdFusion.  We (CFML developers) can start to leverage J2EE services and frameworks like JPA, JNDI, JTA, and others to make ColdFusion a real player in the J2EE stack.  

Java developers are quick to dismiss ColdFusion as simply a J2EE app and miss its real potential:  It is the fastest way to get data to the web.  It is the fastest way to get data to AJAX, Flex, Silverlight, and even JavaFX (the last two via XML or web service).  I think that going forward, ColdFusion will really shine in this space and make itself be known as a the leader in moving data into RIAs.

ColdFusion also provides complex services easier than Java, .Net, Ruby, or whatever wishes they could.  Let's look at a couple of examples:  CFMAIL is, by far, the easiest way to generate email from an application.  CFPDF?  Are you kidding me?  It doesn't get any easier than this.  Don't tell the Java guys this, but it integrates with JMS easier than Java does too (look at the gateways).  These specialty services are an often used, but at times, overlooked part of ColdFusion because of their simplicity.  By the same token, they're often a source of ammo for the ColdFusion detractors.  Maybe they're just jealous.  

Simply put, at the end of the day, ColdFusion is a J2EE app that enables you to be more productive than if you were writing pure Java or CFML code, alone.  Look at it, and embrace it as such, and a whole new world will open up to you, as a CFML or Java developer.

John Mason's Blog John Mason of FusionLink is now blogging. John is very active in both the Atlanta ColdFusion and Flex Communities. You may also know him as the host of the ACFUG and AFFUG meetings. John is a great resource when it comes to ColdFusion performance tuning and JVM tuning. In addition to all this, John is also runs the hosting company, FusionLink. Make sure you add his RSS feed to your aggregator.

I went to my AdSense account the other day to create an ad to place on the Weight Watchers Points Calculator. Turns out that the only server-side options that are supported to generate the ads are PHP, CGI, JSP, or ASP. Hmmmm. Our favourite server-side language isn't on that list. However, we can leverage JSP Custom Tags within ColdFusion pages. Charlie has a great article on how to do this (Standard Sys-Con warnings apply). So, I went and did what any good developer would do, I created an easy way to re-use this functionality in ColdFusion. I created a custom JSP tag that you can use to generate Google Mobile Ads within your content. I've included JavaDocs in the zip so that you know what the default values of the attributes are, and how to use them. Included in the package are the class file with path, the JavaDocs, the TLD, and a sample usage file. Enjoy.

Those of you running JRun can get the latest updater, now available: Release Notes Updater

Supposedly, you can use JRun's transaction management with Hibernate-enabled applications. Supposedly. In theory, this is great, but in practice, it's not so peachy. The error that you get is: Could Not Find the Current JTA Transaction. Go figure. My conclusion after all this is that though Hibernate will run ON JRun, it will not necessarily run WITH JRun. From what I hear from a buddy of mine at RedHat, the Hibernate team has been alerted of this and other JRun issues and are looking into it.