Boyzoid's Blog & Stuff

As was announced on this week's CFHour podcast, and on Ray Camden's blog, I will be taking the reigns of BlogCFC, and, with the help of some very smart people, will be the driving force behind the next version.

I will admit, we have some pretty big shoes to fill, but I think the ideas we have for BlogCFC 6 will be up to the task.

We have a long list of things we need to take care of to make sure that the current version of BlogCFC will continue to be accessible while we work on the new version. Keep an eye out here, and on the BlogCFC news page for information as it becomes available.

One of the first things we would like to do is gather a core group of people who would like to help start the process of laying out a plan for going forward, including new features, new architecture, etc. for the next version, if you are interested, please leave a comment below, or use the 'Contact' page here.

I would like to note that now that I am the benevolent dictator of BlogCFC, Step 5 of my plan for world domination has been completed. Unlike those silly Hollywood evil ganiuses, I will not reveal my entire plan for world domination, so, don't bother asking.

Last week, Steve Bryant, came up with a great idea, for all of us in the community to share how we got started using ColdFusion.

I started to write my story, then I remembered that last week on the CFHour podcast, Dave Ferguson and I discussed our own stories. So, rather then type out the story, I am just going to direct you to the podcast.

Note: For those who may be wondering, this is part shameless plug for CFHour and part me being lazy.

As Vicky Ryder recently announced on CodeBass Radio, I will be joining Dave Ferguson as a co-host of the CFHour podcast. The first show will be out later this week.

I am very excited to be a part of CFHour - but, since I like to talk a lot, we may need to change the name to CFHour and a half. Please be sure to listen in, you never know when I will make a total fool of myself - that is something you do not want to miss, as I do it so well.

Thank you to everyone who attended my 'Multiscreen: What is it and Why Should we Care' and 'Intro to Solr' presentations at cf.Objective().

I have uploaded the slides and code for both presentations to SlideSix for you to enjoy.

Here are the slides and code samples from my 'Intro to Solr' session at cf.Objective()

I hope everyone who attended enjoyed the session, it seemed well received.

You can get the files here.

As I mentioned last week, I plan on publishing a series of blog posts that will demonstrate how PHP and ColdFusion can address common development tasks. Before I publish my first post (in a hopefully long and informative, if not entertaining, series) I wanted to lay down some ground rules. These rules are for me as much as anyone else as I want to make sure I follow a 'standard' procedure for each post.

Here are the rules for me to follow:

• All the code I demonstrate will be compatible with the versions I have installed. For ColdFusion, that is version 9.0.1. For PHP, that is version 5.3.4
• When possible, all ColdFusion code will be written using CFScript syntax.
• I will try to follow 'best practices' whenever possible.
• Keep in mind the purpose of this series is NOT to try and prove one language is better than another - but to learn more about the differences, and more importantly, the similarities between them.

Here are the rules I would like you, my readers, to follow:

• Keep it civil. I have no problem if someone wants to express an opinion, that is great, just please do so in a way that is not insulting. I will not approve comments in this series that are not 'civil' (weird to hear me say that, huh?)
• If you see better way of coding what I am trying to demonstrate, please share it - this way we can all learn.
• Keep in mind the purpose of this series is NOT to try and prove one language is better than another - but to learn more about the differences, and more importantly, the similarities between them.

As I said last week, I hope to have the first post done later this week.

As I mentioned here, I have been re-learning PHP as part of a personal project based on WordpPress. Last night, I was working on some more updates and customizations and I realized that some of what I was typing was exactly the same syntax I would use for ColdFusion (the only difference was the variable name, all I would have to do is remove the '$' from the PHP code).

This got me thinking..maybe PHP and ColdFusion are really not all that different. It also made me think of the idea for 'A Tale of Two Languages'. My thought is not to have a 'my language is better than your language' debate, but to show how you would/could accomplish common tasks using each language (ideally, I would like to use other languages as well, but for now I am taking 'baby steps' and using the languages of which I am most familiar).

I plan on starting simple, and, over time, working my way up to more complex tasks. I am going to use this as an opportunity to become more proficient in PHP so that I become more 'valuable' as a developer. I am fairly certain that this will make me a better ColdFusion developer as well.

I already have some ideas for the first post or two but would love to hear some suggestions on what I can cover. Please leave a comment or use the contact form if there is something you would like to see me demonstrate.

Look for the first post in the 'series' sometime next week.

Disclaimer:I use the word 'series' loosely. I do not plan to have a regular schedule for these postings, but I am hoping this will prove useful enough to others that I would kind of be forced to do so. I also understand that this stands to be a powder keg for a 'battle of the languages'.

First, you have registered for cf.Objective(), right? If not, what the hell is wrong with you? Go do so, now....

Ok, now that the important stuff is out of the way, we can get on to some scary stuff. In what can only be classified as an extreme lack of judgement, the folks who run cf.Objective() have asked me to be a part of the opening day Keynote, along with other notable ColdFusion peeps such as:

• Ray Camden
• Jason Dean
• Mark Mandel
• Bob Silverberg

While everyone listed above will dazzle you with their intellect and discuss some very cool ColdFusion and other related topics, I get to be the 'Master of Ceremonies'. That is right, I am going to be the emcee. To be honest, I am not sure exactly what that entails, but I think they expect me to be funny..or at least try to be funny. Either way, I am equally honored and terrified to have this opportunity

Lastly, we are in need of speakers for the 'Lightning Talks' (In previous years this session was called Pech Kucha - I think the name was changed because no one knew how to pronounce Pecha Kucha). 'Lightning Talks' are very short - 6 minutes, I believe - presentations on pretty much any topic you want. I have never attended one of these sessions, but I hear they are great fun. Anyone can give one of these talks, it is not limited only to conference speakers. If you are interested, please submit a topic at http://engage.cfobjective.com/

Looking forward to seeing you guys at cf.Objective() next month!

Dear Open Source Developers,

Yesterday, Peter Farrell published a letter to 'open source developers' pleading with them...no, actually, demanding of them, to stop asking for personal donations or even accepting 'wish list' items. Today, I am here asking you..no, actually, I am demanding of you, to do whatever you feel is necessary in order to continue to produce free, badass software.

[More]