Adobe Cold Fusion: 8 Reasons Why It Is Still Relevant

by Darryl K. Taft

FoodSHIELD is a Web-based platform that facilitates communication and collaboration among thousands of public and private entities involved in protecting the United States food supply. From laboratories and regulatory agencies at all levels to academia and industry, FoodSHIELD is a central portal used by people in all 50 states who work collectively to safeguard the national food supply through secure, integrated resources. Driven by Adobe ColdFusion, FoodSHIELD was built entirely with Adobe technology. ColdFusion lets FoodSHIELD developers squeeze more value out of each server and gain tremendous speed without adding hardware. For users, the FoodSHIELD interface is less like a Web application and more like a true interactive experience, letting users engage with information, peers, and other agencies. For more information, go to http://bit.ly/9tlGPx.

ZapMyTV (ZMTV) delivers a social broadband video portal with live cable TV, social networking, picture-in-picture video chat and interactive advertising. Through one site, users can watch television, search the Internet, e-mail each other, chat, videoconference and blog. More than 20 TV networks already provide programming through ZMTV, and films from Paramount are on the way. Adobe ColdFusion was used to create a middle layer that manages communications and transactions between ZMTVs back-end systems and cable TV broadcasters, as well as social media sites. A key part of the middle layer is LiveCycle Data Services ES, which allows ZMTV to synchronize and connect a variety of services and devices. For instance, users can connect a laptop to a television set for large-screen viewing and use an iPhone as a remote control device. Adobe Flex Builder was used to build ZMTVs ICE Player for a high-quality viewing experience on virtually any computer platform or device. For more information, go to http://bit.ly/a0G0la.

Tag:cmd (create, manage and deliver) is a platform that agencies and their clients use to collaborate online on creative works, from TV commercials to Web banners to print pieces. Nearly 50 global enterprises and up to 70,000 users tap into Tag:cmd to shape and review their campaigns. Users report as much as a 30-percent reduction in production cycles, reduced administrative overhead by tens of thousands of dollars and complete audits in hours versus weeks. Tag:cmd is powered by a custom workflow engine created with ColdFusion software. ColdFusion also powers job tracking, including job costing, production schedules and fulfillment documents in PDF. Adobe LiveCycle Reader Extensions ES lets reviewers access and comment on PDF files in the system using free Adobe Reader software. For more information, go to http://bit.ly/c27icO.

To show customers its products and its brand, MSC Cruises developed MSC Web TV, a live and on-demand HD video streaming channel that was viewed more than 1,000 times a day from 40 different countries in its initial launch phase. The content is available in six languages and is viewable in HD via Microsoft Windows, Mac and Linux computers as well as mobile devices, including the iPhone. MSC developers used ColdFusion to create a high-availability application cluster that manages application loads—serving several hundred concurrent users, each with the ability to vote or comment on videos. Each database interaction triggered by a visitors desire to watch, comment on or otherwise interact with a video is handled through ColdFusion. For more information, go to http://bit.ly/dz3xGZ.

Since its debut in 1993, Patrizia Pepe has expanded to the point that its clothing is available throughout Europe and the Far East via a growing network of retailers, showrooms and flagship stores. Patrizia Pepe also connects with its audience through the Web using video and mobile devices. Using Adobe ColdFusion and BlazeDS, the Patrizia Pepe team created application middleware that communicates between the Flex front-end, customer-facing Web app and the companys back-end servers to manage customer communications and logistics. A console created using ColdFusion also monitors Website statistics such as newsletters sent, ratings and responses on customer satisfaction surveys. The online store receives more than 2,200 visitors each day, with users staying nearly seven minutes on average, which is in line with some of the worlds top Websites. For more information, go to http://bit.ly/8X9hJq.

Auburn University, founded in 1856, is the largest university in Alabama. Previously, visitors to the universitys Website were faced with multiple, time-consuming page loads and refreshes needed to access departmental information. The old site lacked an effective navigation system, and the process of referencing information about faculty, publications and environmental data was slow. To remedy this, the university turned to Adobe Dreamweaver, ColdFusion, Flash and Flex to design a new site. The sites new, powerful functionality is enabled by a ColdFusion back-end system that loads huge data sets into the Websites front-end UI built using Adobe Flex components. For more information, go to http://bit.ly/bJusfT.

A half-million backpackers visit Australia each year, contributing $3 billion to the economy. Many travelers use social sites such as Facebook to keep in touch with family and friends at home, but there have been few integrated online resources for backpackers. To fill this void, Australian Leopold Humbel used Adobe Creative Suite, Flash and ColdFusion to develop and launch BePacked.com, an online traveler app. Based on an interactive zoomable map, travelers can learn about the country and create a trip planner that includes a travel route, diary entries and photos. Friends and family can be notified of new entries and given access to restricted content, such as future travel plans. Backpackers also are using BePacked.com for job hunting and mobile phone needs. The system is designed to allow for a massive, scalable amount of data to be exchanged through an interface created with Adobe Flash Professional and stored in a database. ColdFusion and Flash Player let large amounts of data to be pulled back and forth and made visible to the user. For more information, go to http://bit.ly/9QGhoC.

Wrecking Ball Media used ColdFusion and ColdFusion Builder to build Adobe TV, Adobes free online video resource for instruction and inspiration about Adobe products. About 900,000 unique visitors visit the Adobe TV site every month, logging almost 2 million video views. Visitors have quick access to more than 5,000 videos, streamed live using Adobe Flash Media Server software and viewable within Adobe Flash Player. Wrecking Ball Media used ColdFusion to build Adobe TV in a tight 10-week development timeframe and with a small team. The team used the ColdFusion Builder IDE for coding the application, managing servers and deploying the project. With features such as line-by-line debugging, code introspection and code highlighting, they saved hours that would otherwise be spent saving files, checking them back in and refreshing them. For more information, go to http://bit.ly/a3LYzx.