Whoo. What a year! 2018 has been huge for ColdFusion. From the amazing conferences to the major advancements in CFML to the release of ColdFusion 2018, this past year has been incredible.
Contents
- 065: The Future of ColdFusion (it is Bright) with Tridib Roy Chowdhury
- 086: Adobe ColdFusion 2018 (All that is new) with Kishore Balakrishnan
- 082: ColdFusion and the Blockchain Revolution with Mike Brunt
- 073: Progressive Web Apps (A Gentle Intro for CFers who are scared of PWAs) with Ray Camden
- 077: Fundamentals of Unit Testing, BDD and Mocking (using TestBox and MockBox) with Uma Ghotikar
- 085: ColdFusion and Angular (Modern Development Strategies) with Nolan Erck
- 075: Breaking out of your ColdFusion comfort zone (How to make CF mainstream) with Igor Ilyinsky
- 061 The Great ColdFusion Entrepreneurial Adventure (from side jobs to freelancing to your own biz) with Samuel Knowlton
- 079 Help Your ColdFusion Team Find Flow (7 keys to PM success) with Christine Ballisty
- 087 ColdFusion vs PHP vs Java vs .Net (which is a better friend) with Brian Cain
- What’s In Store for 2019?
- Join the CF Alive revolution
And it’s been an incredible year for the CF Alive podcast as well. I’ve been lucky to have had the ability to interview some of the best and brightest minds in our community. But all of this would not exist if it wasn’t for one thing.
You.
That’s right. Without the support from dedicated readers and viewers such as yourself, we wouldn’t be here. So from the bottom of my heart, thank you for making this possible.
And now, without any further ado… Let’s move on to the Top 10 CF Alive Podcasts of 2018.
065: The Future of ColdFusion (it is Bright) with Tridib Roy Chowdhury
About the show: Back in March, I had the absolute privilege of interviewing Tridib Roy Chowdhury. Tridib is the Senior Director of Products at Adobe. He is the individual directly responsible for ColdFusion. When we spoke, he broke down from a business standpoint just exactly how CF is Alive and growing. It was a really unique insight into the back end of Adobe. We also spoke on the future of ColdFusion and the release of CF 2018. Remember, this was back in March before the release. But the point to take away from this is to see what Adobe promised and what they delivered. Now after the release, you can see just how trustworthy the good people at Adobe are. They not only delivered but gave even more than we could have imagined. A great “before” for the ColdFusion 2018 “after” picture.
About the speaker: Tridib Roy Chowdhury is the GM and Sr. Director of Products at Adobe Systems and is responsible for ColdFusion. Over the last 10 years at Adobe, he has built a global team consisting of engineers, product and data architects, product managers, product marketers, experience designers and sales. Tridib has been driving data-driven decision making much before it was fashionable.
086: Adobe ColdFusion 2018 (All that is new) with Kishore Balakrishnan
About the show: So if my interview with Tridib was the “before” picture, my interview with Kishore Balakrishnan is the “after.” Again, I was given another unique opportunity to sit down with a senior member of Adobe to discuss ColdFusion, and once again I graciously accepted. This time we spoke about what new and exciting features were available with ColdFusion 2018. Kishore gave us a really nice breakdown on many of the new additions. But that wasn’t the only thing. We conducted this interview as part of a Facebook Live event. Once we got through the CF 2018 updates, we opened the floor for audience questions. Many of you had questions concerning educational programs and provisions of ColdFusion. This was a great time for all involved.
About the speaker: Kishore Balakrishnan is a Senior Product Marketing Manager at Adobe Systems with a Master Degree in Computer Applications. At Adobe he has held roles of a Quality Manager and Program Manager before becoming the Product Marketing Manager. He enjoys being the ‘voice of the customer' within the organization, liaising with the sales team to facilitate the selling process, and clearly communicates the why, what, and when to the marketplace for CF. He lives in Bangalore with his wife and kid. Kishore loves his long runs and cooking.
082: ColdFusion and the Blockchain Revolution with Mike Brunt
About the show: One of the hottest topics today in the world of tech is the Blockchain Revolution. As I type, bookstores around the globe are displaying new releases and best sellers on the topic. Articles and blogs everywhere are being written on this subject. That’s one of the reasons why it was so exciting to speak with our community’s very own CF Whisperer on the matter: Mike Brunt. He began his talk on how the Blockchain Revolution originally started with Bitcoin. From there, he talked in detail about what Blockchain actually is and why it matters to us CF’ers. I’ll give you hint. It has to do with getting your proper REST for your CF projects. Mike also lets us know exactly how CF can be the best glue for Blockchain and databases. This is another one of those can’t miss episodes for those utilizing Blockchain.
About the speaker:Mike Brunt was born in Northern England in 1948. It was a time of austerity for the British people who had rationing in place due to the effects of the Second World War. He pursued a management career in transportation equipment becoming Director of Excess Stock at British Leyland Truck and Bus. He moved to the USA in 1989 and eventually took up a career path in technology, coinciding with the emergence of the World Wide Web. Mike then became involved in teleradiology, working alongside Kodak, Lucent Technologies and GTE. Currently Mike is still deeply involved in technology, being a specialist in capacity planning and tuning for Java systems. He is becoming even more involved with Blockchain and peer-to-peer based infrastructure. In addition to his career path, Mike is a composer and has been involved in the creation of 11 electronic music albums. He also paints, with well over 100 paintings located in Los Angeles, New Zealand and Eugene, Oregon. Lastly, Mike is a Permaculture Certified Designer and lives on a 5-acre farm in the Eugene area of Oregon. Mike Brunt is also known as the CF Whisperer.
073: Progressive Web Apps (A Gentle Intro for CFers who are scared of PWAs) with Ray Camden
About the show: In May, I spoke with another legend of ColdFusion, Ray Camden. We talked extensively about PWAs (or Progressive Web Apps). So what really is a PWA? And why should we use them? Ray makes a direct comparison between Native Apps and modernized PWAs. This info is monumental for those looking to modernize or experiment with PWAs. Not only does he relay comparisons, he also suggests preferred ways of creating progressive web applications. Using famous examples, Ray is able to show us exactly what progressive apps can do for us. I firmly believe that making CF more Alive, Modern, and Vibrant includes the widespread introduction to Progressive Web Apps within the ColdFusion community.
About the speaker: Raymond Camden is a senior developer advocate for Auth0 Extend. His work focuses on Extend, serverless customization, and the web in general. He's a published author and presents at conferences and user groups on a variety of topics. Raymond can be reached at his blog (www.raymondcamden.com), @raymondcamden on Twitter, or via email at [email protected].
077: Fundamentals of Unit Testing, BDD and Mocking (using TestBox and MockBox) with Uma Ghotikar
About the show: In this episode, Uma Ghotikar essentially set up a one stop shop for the basics of testing for your ColdFusion products. Before we got into the nitty-gritty of testing, Uma broke down what unit testing is and why we should use it. Afterwards, we got into it. Do you know how to write a unit test? Maybe you do. Or you think you do. Here, Uma gives a solid set of guidelines to follow when creating unit tests. By following these rules, you will ensure that your unit testings are the best they can be. Every time. What about the difference between TDD and BDD? Uma once again has the answers. And after everything, she goes into detail about mocking with MockBox and TestBox. This is an episode that all CF’ers using testing should watch.
About the speaker: Uma Ghotikar has more than 6 years of experience in web application development, database design and development. She has a technical educational background and has a Master of Science in Information Systems from George Mason University, USA and a Bachelor of Engineering in Information Technology from University of Mumbai, India. She enjoys coding, especially the back-end development and learning new technical skills.
085: ColdFusion and Angular (Modern Development Strategies) with Nolan Erck
About the show: Another popular up and coming piece of software is Angular. For those of you unaware of what Angular is, it is one of the most popular JavaScript frameworks going today. It’s a great tool for building front-end web apps that talk to server-side APIs. And Angular and CF are a perfect match. But don’t just take my word for it. Check out this interview I conducted with Nolan Erck. Nolan has been quite busy this conference season, having spoken quite a lot on this topic. And I was lucky enough to get a one-on-one with him. Nolan discussed the benefits of building your application in the Web Browser and using ColdFusion as a back-end. We talked about strategies for adding Angular onto a legacy CF site or a modern Web Component architecture. We also touched on using MVC frameworks to build APIs in ColdFusion, Dependency Injection, the API Manager, JSON serialization in ColdFusion 2018, and AngularJS vs Angular 5/6.
About the speaker: Nolan Erck has been developing software for over 21 years. Starting in the video game industry working on titles for Maxis and LucasArts, then advancing to web development in 1999, his list of credits includes Grim Fandango, StarWars Rogue Squadron, SimPark, SimSafari as well as high-traffic websites for a variety of clients. Nolan manages the SacInteractive User Group, teaches classes on aspects of software development, and regularly gives presentations at conferences and user groups across the country. When he's not consulting or talking about himself in the third person, Nolan can usually be found working on one of several music projects.
075: Breaking out of your ColdFusion comfort zone (How to make CF mainstream) with Igor Ilyinsky
About the Show: Here at Teratech, we fully believe that ColdFusion is Alive and thriving. One thing that we do accept, however, is that it’s not necessarily mainstream. But that by no means says that the platform is obsolete. Take a look at Chance the Rapper for instance. His career was primarily as an underground independent hip-hop artist. Now, he’s a global phenomenon with a Grammy in just about every category he can be in. So, what would it take to bring ColdFusion to the mainstream? I had the unique opportunity to speak with Igor Ilyinsky, a marketing guru and fellow CF’er. He spoke on many obstacles and hurdles that CF is facing that prevents it from becoming more known. Igor also brings up a very applicable point. Many CF developers live in a bubble. It’s true. But he also gives us some tips on how we can break out of our shells. For any of those out there who believe in CF and want to do their part in keeping it Alive and Vibrant… This is a must-see episode.
About the speaker: Igor is the founder of FirmWise, and has helped redesign over a hundred law firm websites. He is a Marketing Technologist, entrepreneur and entertaining presenter. He focuses on advancing Law Firms to the highest level of marketing technology automation. Igor's gift is knowing how to translate techie jargon into common sense English that anyone can understand; even battle-hardened attorneys. His two-decade experience in web development and his popularity as a speaker makes him the quintessential authority on what trends to pursue and what fads to avoid. As the Founder of FirmWise, the only web hosting platform developed specifically for law firms, Igor has helped define the web presence of over 200 law firms, and continues to pioneer strategy for the industry. He works with numerous programming languages (including: Basic, Fortran, Pascal, Modula3, C/C++, Visual Basic, Active Server Pages, Java, Java Server Pages, Enterprise Java Beans, JavaScript, Livewire [Server Side JavaScript], Perl, Php, SQL, TSQL, PL/SQL, ColdFusion, ActionScript, WML, WMLS, XML and WSDL) on multiple OS platforms.
061 The Great ColdFusion Entrepreneurial Adventure (from side jobs to freelancing to your own biz) with Samuel Knowlton
About the show: ColdFusion and CFML are awesome. Plain and simple. It’s an easy-to-use platform that allows us as developers to reach new heights in our programming careers. But… are all of us really using this as a career? Or maybe… there are some hobbyists among us. Those waiting for that big break to propel you forward. What if I were to tell you that good things don’t always come to those who wait. Have you ever dreamed of becoming an entrepreneur? Striking out on your own and becoming your own boss? Well, you can make that dream a reality. Just listen to Samuel Knowlton. Samuel tells his story on how we went from performing side jobs to owning his own business. Tune in to find out all the juicy details you need to start along your way.
About the speaker: Founder and president of inLeague, a boutique ColdFusion software development house.
079 Help Your ColdFusion Team Find Flow (7 keys to PM success) with Christine Ballisty
About the show: Sometimes, you just can’t go about a project on your own. That’s why it’s great to be part of a team. Well, a good team that is. But what makes a good team? Is it that it’s comprised of programming superstars? Or is it pooled resources? Sure, those are great. The number one thing that a team needs is the ability to work together and proper flow. And Christine Ballisty can help you find just that. In our interview, she lets us know exactly what good workflow is and how to achieve it. Christine delivered her 7 steps to success that she herself uses to create and be part of a successful team.
About the speaker: With almost 10 years of project management experience at the enterprise-level, Christine Ballisty has a wealth of expertise and understanding in effectively conceiving and executing complex software application and web development solutions. Christine has a successful track record of positive feedback from clients, key partners and colleagues. She has a proven ability to single-handedly manage a pool of onsite & remote Application Developers & User Interface Designers. As she frequently manages several projects simultaneously, Christine also oversees budgets and cares for project lifecycles in an experienced, proficient and meticulous manner; all in tandem with leading the Project Management Office of Blue River. She currently provides oversight and guidance to a number of project managers and coordinators in the Professional Services division.
087 ColdFusion vs PHP vs Java vs .Net (which is a better friend) with Brian Cain
About the show: We’ve all heard the spiel about how CF is dying. Or about its legacy. Or that other development platforms are superior in every way. All of which we know is a bunch of BS. So what would happen if ColdFusion was thrown into the squared circle pitted against some of the biggest names in programming? Those being Java, PHP, and .Net. The results might surprise you, but… CF definitely more than holds its own. Brian Cain led me through different areas of competition between these. And in many circumstances… CF came out on top. This is definitely one of my favorite podcasts I have done thus far because it shows just how Alive, Modern, and Vibrant CF actually is.
About the speaker: Brian has been developing for 20 years, 16 of them in ColdFusion. He is also the Development Team manager for the Careers division of Farms.com.
What’s In Store for 2019?
Well, that’s the real question isn’t it? With the way ColdFusion is growing and evolving, the possibilities are endless. One thing I can tell you for certain is that CF Alive is going to be following closely. I pledge to keep you all up to date with the latest news and improvements that come along. I definitely look forward to spending another year with you and our ever-growing community.
Cheers,
Michaela Light
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