This is awesome. A CF forum.

Skemcin or anyone where is a good CF tutorial and can I download the CF compiler (or whatever it is) for free to install on my IIS6 server?

I exchange some PMs with Kaijim and I am happy to see that he added this here.

Yes, I am making a sticky for it now.

What does this mean...can I install is on my server and deploy CF websites? What does it mean by 2 IP connections? only 2 concurrent users?

Is this what I have to have? http://www.adobe.com/products/coldfusion/buy/ ..... $1300 just to be able to develope and deploy CF websites...thats nuts. I am I reading that right? Can't I just get a compiler and develop in Notepad? For free?

EDIT: I think I had the wrong idea...coldfusion is its own server? I cannot install it on IIS and still run ASP.Net and PHP. Am I right? Unfortunately that is a huge turnoff for me, plus the cost. wow.

Here is how it works:

a.) Cold Fusion is its own server engine. If you install it, it will not, in any way, effect your installations of PHP or ASP. They all run run along side each other.

b.) The developer's edition is for 2 users, so yes, in order to run your own server it does need to be purchase - the only draw back. Since the majority of users use hosting services, this is more of a non issue than people make it out to be.

c.) Developing tools range from notepad (free), eclipse(also free), to something like Dreamweaver ($300). But just like php and asp, a developing tool is up to you.

If you, personally, really want to develop something, then it costs nothing since you can run the server in your own LAN. There is only a cost once you want to go public with it. But during the learning process, do you really need anyone (aside from yourself) to see it? If so, send me a PM and I can find some space for you.


EDIT: to elaborate in the installation, you are given the option to have cold fusion run with an existing server (IIS, Apache, etc.) or use its own. Again it will not present a conflict with any other server engine you are running.

Thanks good to know...I was starting to panic..sorry .

Yeah I guess I will install it to learn and if I decide to actually make something live I will have to look for some server space cuz it would cost too much to worth while for me to have it for my server.

Correct. And this is the case for most small development shops. These shops will host the Cold Fusion sites 99% of the time - this is why cost is not that big of an issue to a developer. For me, I develop at home on the developer license, and then when I need to let the client see the site, I open my firewall to my CF server and then second IP that I can host to is them. When they are done (that day or two), I close my firewall and restart my Cold Fusion service. This makes both IP user spots avaiable again - 1 for me and the other for the next (or same) client I need to preview the site to. Not ideal, but very manageable.

For exisiting clients, I set up their ONLINE sites to double as a development box. I have two folders, one for production and one for development and two LIVE data sources. So they can see things in the environment that it will be live on. This requires I pay strict attention to detail, but it works very well. Promoting from DEV to PROD rarely has any hickups.

BTW, these are EXCELLENT questions and points. This is exactly what happens to people when they first learn of Cold Fusion. Getting this out of the way and making people understand just how easy and available the technology is the hardest thing. Once these points are clarified, a huge burdon is lifted - as it seems with you. This couldn't have been scripted any better.

one last question. Does CF run on windows only or can it be run on Linux?

Windows, Mac, Unix, Linux, doesn't matter:
http://www.adobe.com/products/coldfusion/p...nfo/systemreqs/

Hmm...it is says only Red Hat and Suse. I wonder if it will work on Unbuntu? I'll give it a try, thanks a lot.

you're welcome - let me know how it goes.

your mod services will be transferred when you decide on your new alias - cfguy.

it will have to be REALLY good to make me switch completely from ASP.Net...but I do program with PHP too so if I like I will add it to my bag of tricks and use it when I need it.

hehe - send some PM when you come across those moments when you find that ASP can do one thing and CF can't and visa versa - I am honestly interested to know where the real differences lie. I've only come to understand a few very subtle differences that tend to only effect a very very small percentage of scenarios.

Once I read a very disturbing limitation of Cold Fusion in Dreamwaver's manual of it... or at least I think I read correctly (I need to find it again...). It said that Cold Fusion doesn't support the GET method. There are a lot of scenarios when this can make the things hard.

if you are talking about <cfform action="xxxx.cfm method="post"> vs. <cfform action="xxxx.cfm method="get"> then you must have read incorrectly - there is no question that it supports both.

http://livedocs.macromedia.com/coldfusion/...cs/00000256.htm

Congrats Skemcin. I know I should be congratulating everyone, but really, you might practice polygamy and marry this thing

I'll be scared the day I know more about Cold Fusion than I do about my wife. Then again, that may come sooner than later since I can't google the answers I need about my wife!

Wov, ColdFusion forum.
I have downloaded the trial but I can't get it working (as usual) so I just go on with PHP

Well, um... what exactly was the problem? Where did occur? Details, details...

I couldn't install it
Even if I would get it work, I would eventually need to pay for it
ALSO I have learned PHP that I wont give away

No you won't... read above! The trial will degrade to the Developer Edition, which still allows you to design and test your code. It only doesn't allow you to serve your pages to more then 2 IPs at a time, meaning it's not suitable for a live application, but it's useful for development as it's name implies.

Why weren't you able to install it? What happened? Details are missing again .

also it runs along side PHP or any other languages you have.

You should definitely read all the information I have clearly outlined about this product, it will give you a better understanding of exactly what you can do - and what VERY little you cannot (like start your own ISP is about it).

I think that it is ironic that your signature states that you are learning flash (via trial edition) but by participating in this thread and downloading the software are somewhat interested in Cold Fusion (even to try to install it). But unlike Cold Fusion, there is no legal free version of flash out there - so that you will definitely have to pay for it.

I, as well as boen_robot as it seems, are more than willing to help you figure out why you are not able to get Cold Fusion running on your set up. As he has mentioned, please include some details about your installation experience. Did you not have enough memory or hard drive space - ie. check the link I supplied on system requirements. Also, if you are going to leanr SQL (again as your signature indicates) then you shuld be looking into MySQL and its syntactical differences since any other regualr SQL software requires a purchase. Oh, and if you intend to learn .NET in the future (again as your signature indicates), you'll only be able to get away with the "Express" tools for so long.


Look forward to your next reply.

I would like to point out that I have been using the Express tools and find that I am not limited in anything. The only annoyance is that you have to download 2 different IDE's for WEb and Desktop applications but for being FREE I can live with that.

I say this because before I started using the Express tools I was writing my .Net code in Notepad and compiling it with a batch file.

So, anything you want to do can be done in notepad and batch files so Express tools should not pose a problem...except unless you want an IDE that will handle all your DB connections for you and toher stuff like that but those are not requirements, only conveniences.

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