Can Adobe make ColdFusion hot (again) or not?
I just read an interesting article on ColdFusion in Computerworld. It highlights the recent improvements in CF8 and its positioning for Web 2.0.
Adobe challenges word on the web and shares documents too
They said they were not planning to challenge Microsoft but the headline on the BBC web site says it all.
At MAX today several announcements were made. My favourite is share. A new web site allows you to share documents among a group. It features previews of the documents pages done with a Flash interface.
On the word processor front I have recently be studgloing with Word 2007. Its always been needlessly complicated and overkill for what I need in a word processor. The latest version seems to fight me at every turn. All the features I want are hidden way down in the menu structure or completely removed from the menu altogether.
I was trying to number some paragraphs last week. There seems to be no way in word 2007 to do it easily. In earlier versions I could just set paragraph numbering on. In 2007 you actually have to type the numbers and then Word sort of undertands that you mean number my paragraphs.
Other times it assumes you want to number paragraphs just because the line starts with a number, when you really just want a number ate the start of the sentence.
I would realy like a small lightweight wordprocessor.
New Adobe Developer Connection Web Site
Adobe have launched a new look to what was the devnet website.
It has a new name - Adobe Developer Connection (ADC) and has a lot of new features that I haven't had time to fully explore it yet.
It even has a number of social networking features to allow developers to communicate with each other and even comes with a AIR Application that helps track Flex Bugs.
It also offers a number of developer newsletters and facilities to share Flex ideas through the Flex Cookbook.
For future releases of the ADC, Adobe are looking at ways to increase participation, with features like rating, tagging, and commenting of content. Adobe say that they want to enhance the visual presentation of content and make it easier to find technical resources quickly.
Adobe want you to sign up and join in. Looks interesting.
FlexManiacs - Day 2 - Mike Sundermeyer and Tom Hobbs - Adobe Experience Design
The XD Team is working with companies who want to push the envelope. Including RIAs and Mobile phone interfaces in Flash and Flex. Now working on new Flex components.
Mike and Tom outlined a typical scenario involving the development of page wireframes, then graphic design, then code in Flex or HTML. They then showed a series of new techniques and thinking that would allow much better user interfaces to be developed.
Flex Maniacs Conference
I have arrived in Washington for the Flex Maniacs Conference. The Plane arrived quite late after a 2 hour delay in London because of the Rainstorm at Heathrow. But that means that I had a good night sleep and am feeling good to go for the start at 7:15.
Interesting Times
There is an old chinese curse, "May you live in interesting times".
We certainly seem to be in those times at the momement. I havn't been blogging much but that not from lack of material. Much more from being stunned or overwhelmed by the tide of new stuff heading our way.
Is it because I am a bit older than many of the people who build web sites or is it just that I remember the 1970s when "Future Shock" was talked about but still a distant distopian vision?
In reality I have made good progress with the new Photoshop CS3 and about to start on Fireworks 9. (Or is it CS3?)
Anyway among the interesting things flowing this way this week is an analysis by my old friend Robin Bloor of Microsoft's Vista Sales and an interview on the BBC with Adobe's Bruce Chizen. The transcript of the interview is also available.
