ColdFusion is widely used by developers across the word as a powerful web development platform. But the platform was developed in 1995 with some simple features to establish connection between HTML pages and a database. The version 2 of the ColdFusion was released in 1996 with a full scripting language and an IDE. But the latest version of the rapid web development platform, released in 2012, provides application developers with a set of advanced features to easily develop a variety of rich internet applications, along with carrying out enterprise integration.
According to FarBeyondCode.com, in February 2013, Adobe reported, “ColdFusion 10 brought sales and positive feedback to the highest point since 2008. They just had their best quarter at the end of 2012.” The commercial success further encouraged the company to release “a roadmap for versions of the ColdFusion server and the Eclipse IDE, ColdFusion Builder. They project to offer support for security and bug fixes for these new products until around 2020.” The report clearly indicates the growing usage of ColdFusion 10 to meet the needs of web applications developers to build robust application for clients belonging to different industries.
The constant rise in the popularity and usage of ColdFusion was also confirmed by a report published on WebProNews.com. To quote from the report, “Stephen O’Grady over at RedMonk compiled a ranking of programming language popularity based on an interesting set of metrics: StackOverflow questions and GitHub projects. Comparing Stephen’s findings from September 2011 and February 2012 show a significant improvement in ColdFusion’s position.” Also, a number of reports have highlighted the initiatives taken by Adobe to optimize the growth and popularity of ColdFusion.
Key Initiatives Taken by Adobe to Make ColdFusion more Popular
Discussing New Roadmaps
Each company has to collect feedback, suggestions and comments from its clients on the features and functionality of the applications developed by it. Often the interaction with customers also makes it easier for the organization to decide how to boost the performance of its application development framework. Adobe has initiated roadmap discussions to make ColdFusion programming more popular. As per the initiative, the senior leadership from the company will engage in discussions with customers. The feedback and suggestions received from customers will be used in deciding the features and functionality to make the updated version of ColdFusion 10 more powerful.
More Frequent Updates
Each software development company has to impress users by launching updated versions of its products. The updated frameworks also come with a set of advanced features that saves the programmers’ time and efforts while developing rich internet applications. Adobe has implemented a strategy to reduce the release cycles for ColdFusion. So the updated versions of the framework will be released more frequently with a number of advanced features and functionalities. Also, the reduced released cycles will make it easier for Adobe to meet the changing trends in technologies.
Launching ColdFusion on the Cloud
The Cloud-based application development frameworks are popular among developers due to their flexible and convenient features. Many companies have launched the Cloud version of their frameworks to meet the needs of developers. But the Cloud release of ColdFusion on Amazon EC2 was delayed due to some issues between the two companies. So Adobe has resolved the issues with Amazon, and is ready to offer Amazon Machine Image (AMI) for ColdFusion 10 at hourly rates. The Cloud version of ColdFusion 10 will encourage more programmers to avail the advantages of this powerful platform.
Expanding the ColdFusion Community
The popularity of an application development framework often depends on the size of developer community. So Adobe has taken initiative to promote ColdFusion at various community colleges. The initiative aims to educate programmers with a detailed semester curriculum for server side programming concepts using ColdFusion. Also, the program includes quizzes, tests, instructor guides and software to encourage new programmers to use this platform to develop rich web applications. At the same time, both instructors and students also have options to clear their doubts by interacting with a community expert.
Engaging the ColdFusion Users Actively
Adobe has further implemented a program to keep the users actively engaged. It is planning to organize ColdFusion events to keep the interested user groups by working with them in an active way. At the same time, the ColdFusion Business Unit at Adobe is planning to organize a full-fledged ColdFusion conference to encourage the involvement of user community. However, Adobe will work only as the primary organizer, while allowing the maximum involvement of the community in several aspects like content selection. The constant interaction with developers will further make it easier for the company to contribute towards the growth and popularity of this rapid web application development platform.
The initiatives taken by Adobe will encourage both novice and experienced programmers to migrate to ColdFusion. Also, the active participation and involvement of developer community will contribute towards boosting the popularity of this web development platform.
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