Andrew Powell

Is XML overrated? This is a question not asked lightly. It is a heavy and bloated question, much like XML itself. XML has been around since 1997. It is document based and it is extremely verbose. It requires a higher payload across the network and cannot be natively used once it arrives. The XML payload must be consumed in some fashion. None of these activities attribute to the speed of an application. In today's world of AJAX and Flex, is XML past its prime? Does XML need to be regarded as a good idea whose time has come and gone? There are plenty of capable replacements available when using AJAX and Flex. Some examples that come to mind are JSON and AMF. Both of these formats require smaller payloads and less processing on the receiving and sending endpoints. These dat... (more)

Spry - AJAX Made Simple

AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) is nothing new. The technologies behind AJAX have been around for quite a while. Jesse James Garrett just gave the amalgamation of XML, DOM, and JavaScript a catchy new name. Many CF developers hear buzzwords like AJAX and Web 2.0 and simply tune out because they think it's too much to comprehend. If they'd simply stop and take a look at what AJAX ca... (more)

RIA News - Flex vs. AJAX: Stop The Madness!

Andy Powell's ColdFusion, Mach-II, Flex, and Spry Blog Flex or AJAX? Which one is better? Which one will "win" in the RIA space? I am tired of this argument. I'm tired of seeing blog posts keeping this debate alive. It's a non-issue, really. I think that people make it an issue when they try, or investigate, each technology and find one easier than the other then run with that technology's ... (more)

What Is ColdFusion in the Age of Java?

Andrew Powell's Blog As CFML developers start to learn Java and move into the realm of Spring and Hibernate, it is very important to stop and ask 'What Is ColdFusion?'. ColdFusion, since CFMX, has been a J2EE application running within a J2EE server (JRun, JBoss, Tomcat, Websphere, etc.). This is important because thinking of ColdFusion like this lets us expand our mind to what we can re... (more)

In Today's World of AJAX and Flex, Is XML Past Its Prime?

Is XML overrated? This is a question not asked lightly. It is a heavy and bloated question, much like XML itself. XML has been around since 1997. It is document based and it is extremely verbose.  It requires a higher payload across the network and cannot be natively used once it arrives. The XML payload must be consumed in some fashion.  None of these activities attribute to the speed o... (more)