Free ColdFusion Server

Since I have let the cat out of the bag that I am a bit of a Java enthusiast, I may as well admit to being a fan of ColdFusion which integrates with Java real well. You can use object-oriented constructs in ColdFusion as well as use Java to extend functionality or provide framework that can be executed easily from the web interface.

Anyway, I just saw that New Atlanta released a new version of their ColdFusion server which is free. There are some restrictions on tag support that can be overcome by buying their full blown version with J2EE capabilities or Adobe's ColdFusion server.

Either choice, one good point is that ColdFusion and Java integrate real well to allow designers use to the web interface niceties of ColdFusion Markup Language (CFML) while leveraging business logic code written in Java.

For example you can create a normal Java class as follows:

package com.mydomain;
public class MyClass {
     public int getInt(){ return 1; }
}

Then you can create and use the object in CF through a few tags:

<cfset mc = createObject("java","com.mydomain.MyClass") />
<cfset myint = mc.getInt() />

CFScript can be pretty useful in making this flow similar to syntax from Java itself, but using the CF tags aren't a bad way to go either especially if the point is separating duties between developers use to Java code and database design from web designers use to HTML style.

Happy coding!