History of ColdFusion
The origin of ColdFusion can be traced back to1995. It was initially a one-man operation and named ColdFusion 1.0. In its original version it was designed to help HTML programmers create database-oriented Web applications.
ColdFusion Initial Versions
ColdFusion 1.0 and the later version 1.5 were very simple programs. Their primary feature was database connectivity, through a primitive tag-based script called "Database Markup Language" (DBML). Version 1.5 was a fairly dramatic improvement, it introduced system service architecture and e-mail integration, and allowed compatibility with C++ for coding extensions. But ColdFusion soon faced stiff competition from Microsoft. Microsoft ASP was created by a team of developers who had a competing product called DBWeb that was largely a failure in the marketplace. But they were working on a new technology in 1996, called i-Basic, which eventually became ASP.
But ColdFusion made a great leap forward with version 2.0, which included such advances as 150 new functions, support for new protocols (e.g. POP), looping, variables, typeless expression evaluation, and a number of other language enhancements. These enhancements were just the beginning; 1997 also saw the addition of custom tags, server side tags, a search and indexing system for text, and ColdFusion Studio.
ColdFusion Version 3 & 4
In January 1998, ColdFusion 3.1 was released with a host of new features. It offered greater support for Windows NT and Sun Solaris systems, and also featured automated page generation and tag completion. A built-in page preview window and HTML syntax checker rounded out the product, keeping it at the top of the market. In early 1999, ColdFusion tackled the enterprise market. With enhanced security and a new multi-threading service, version 4.0 managed to present a product capable of producing applications for multiple servers.
ColdFusion's competitive edge has been ease-of-use. At the time it was first released, ColdFusion was the only way to easily build robust, database-based web applications. It continues to offer unparalleled ease-of-use and productivity, along with a great deal more power and flexibility."
ColdFusion Version 5
But regardless of modern ColdFusion's many selling points, there is still more work to be done. There are two releases planned: first, a new version on the existing architecture, ColdFusion 5.0, which will add some powerful new features such as dynamic graphing and user-defined functions. Also planned is a next-generation architecture that will allow developers to deploy their ColdFusion applications on a J2EE server.
With so much to come, ColdFusion aims to take complex technologies and make them accessible to a broad range of developers.
| Related Links |
Things you dint know about ColdFusion
Know what are the advantages of using coldfusion for software development
Coldfusion developer programmers for application development
