ASP.Net vs. Cold Fusion
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Can someone who has worked with these two technologies tell me which is better. Pros and Cons... I know that ASP.Net is a newer technology, but that is all. Thanks..
I work with both. I've used cold fusion for years, but am relying more and more on asp these days. Cold fusion pros: The big one is consistancy. If you are given a server that runs cold fusion, you know exactly what is on it. While it is possible to develop custom cf tags, it is more common to just use the standard set of tags. The nice part about this is that if you develop something that you want to hand out to multiple people, you can be sure it will work across the board. Cold fusion cons: $$$ Cold fusion server is expensive. If your site is hosted, the cost is passed along to the site owners. Therefore, a cold fusion enhanced site is more expensive to maintain. ASP pros: A hell of a lot of support. If you shake a tree, an ASP developer will most likely fall out. This means if you have a problem, finding the answer is a whole lot easier. It also means there are many custom objects out there that you can add into your projects. Furthermore, it is cheap. The asp engine is free if you are using IIS (or even personal web server for that matter). Cons: Too many flavors. Let's say you are trying to produce something and you find documentation on how to do it on some random site. You copy the code and stick it on your site. You try running it and it doesn't work. Why? Because the other guy has been using some custom object that he hasn't documented. Assuming you are able to figure out what it is, you might still have to pay for this package, which increases your development cost or force you to start over and find a different way to do it. There are other pros and cons of each, but that is what I focus on at least.
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I work with both. I've used cold fusion for years, but am relying more and more on asp these days. Cold fusion pros: The big one is consistancy. If you are given a server that runs cold fusion, you know exactly what is on it. While it is possible to develop custom cf tags, it is more common to just use the standard set of tags. The nice part about this is that if you develop something that you want to hand out to multiple people, you can be sure it will work across the board. Cold fusion cons: $$$ Cold fusion server is expensive. If your site is hosted, the cost is passed along to the site owners. Therefore, a cold fusion enhanced site is more expensive to maintain. ASP pros: A hell of a lot of support. If you shake a tree, an ASP developer will most likely fall out. This means if you have a problem, finding the answer is a whole lot easier. It also means there are many custom objects out there that you can add into your projects. Furthermore, it is cheap. The asp engine is free if you are using IIS (or even personal web server for that matter). Cons: Too many flavors. Let's say you are trying to produce something and you find documentation on how to do it on some random site. You copy the code and stick it on your site. You try running it and it doesn't work. Why? Because the other guy has been using some custom object that he hasn't documented. Assuming you are able to figure out what it is, you might still have to pay for this package, which increases your development cost or force you to start over and find a different way to do it. There are other pros and cons of each, but that is what I focus on at least.
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It depends on which package you are looking for: http://www.macromedia.com/software/coldfusion/buy/[^]
I have never ever seen cold fusion code... My company is considering purchasing an application that is in cold fusion. I have done a little ASP programming. My background is mainly C++. Is it worth my while to take a cold fusion class or is the syntax easy to grasp? Is Cold Fusion a dying technology? Would you purchase cold fusion source code?
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I have never ever seen cold fusion code... My company is considering purchasing an application that is in cold fusion. I have done a little ASP programming. My background is mainly C++. Is it worth my while to take a cold fusion class or is the syntax easy to grasp? Is Cold Fusion a dying technology? Would you purchase cold fusion source code?
Cold fusion works in tags like html. Here is an example: Hello, my name is #name# I found it easier to learn than ASP or ASP.Net, but then again, I suck at C++ and my C background is nothing to write home about. For someone who understands the concept of server-side processing, learning cold fusion should only take a weekend (at least to a degree necessary of managing a pre-built solution). Go to the bookstore and pick up a Cold Fusion basics book. You should be set. Is it dying? Who knows. It used to have a much stronger presence than it does now. If it dies off, it is because Macromedia is charging to much for it. It isn't that it is over-priced for what it does. I whole-heartedly admit that it is a great tool. In fact if price were not a factor, I would choose to use it over ASP/ASP.Net. I just think that the majority of the world will never be able to afford to use it.