We’re getting ready to launch the latest version of Vertabase project management software.  As always, before a launch, I spend time writing down the message behind the software.  When we release a new version its not just about adding new features. Each release encapsulates our specific approach to technology and its application to managing projects.

This time around, it struck me how intertwined our approach is with the continued development of rich internet applications (perhaps because of MAX) and how core ColdFusion has been to the evolution of RIA’s and to our product.  In putting the message down on paper/pixels I hope to describe why ColdFusion is so powerful for rich internet application development.

From the very beginning, we’ve relied on ColdFusion for the external releases of our professional product.   The main reason at that time was the speed at which we could build a high-grade web-based application.  The first wave of RIA development, remember, was getting applications to run on the web. There were numerous “thin client” approaches that would serve desktop applications over a network. But that was simply changing the deployment/delivery method of accessing the same old software.  Web-based applications were fundamentally different.

These first generation RIA’s were about building new tools that could be available from anywhere so that information could be at the same time centralized and ubiquitous.  Similarly, the input of information could be both streamlined (since data entered by one user, once, would be stored in a database instead of a desktop) and expanded (users could enter data from around the world). The beta of Vertabase was launched in 1999 with our major production version going live in 2001. There was no better or faster technology for building and deploying a true web-based application than ColdFusion.  It had the language and the server all built in, seamlessly.

Another key to a RIA experience is usability.  With the web-based revolution, the cost of developing software was radically lowered (by tools like CF) as was the ability to distribute software. This opened the door for creative entrepreneurs to start building and selling software using new interface paradigms.  Instead of being designed by engineers employed by large corporations, software could be built by graphic designers, musicians and garage programmers. Even though there was an Apple that was pushing interface, the internet unleashed the creativity of thousands and thousands to push interface further. It didn’t take a whole lot to experiment with an interface on the web. And with the number of consumers accessing the internet, the demand for new experiences grew.

At Vertabase, this meant finding a visual metaphor that allowed users to quickly access the information and functionality they needed, but still maintain authenticated access rights and individual permission levels.  ColdFusion was perfect for the job. We could build an effective, intuitive interface connected to an authentication backend and permission system. ColdFusion also gave us tools to build tables and charts that made it easy for users to visualize and interpret their information. The latest version of Vertabase takes advantage of this and has a totally revamped interface with new visualization tools

The most recent growth in RIA’s has been on the user experience side. Web 2.0 tools have exploded that create a simple user experience to enable a few key functions -often related to communication and connecting people.  Flash and Flex are pushing the boundaries of how users navigate applications and how immersed a user can be in an application experience. For sure, ColdFusion has the tools to connect to these type of interfaces.

But in my world, the world of project management and productivity tools, software has to be more than an immersive experience.  It also has to be about functionality and getting things done.  I want our software to enable greater productivity.

In managing projects, that means having a one stop shop to input project data, update the data, share the information and use it. For this kind of hard-core, productivity centric application, ColdFusion rocks the house.

As I see it, this is the next step in Rich Internet Application development -allowing data to be input from a variety of sources and to have the information available in many formats. The data should be usable and portable both in an application and outside of it, whether in the browser or out of it.

An application doesn’t exist in a vacuum.  There is an eco-system of tools and technologies.  While some employers have set a path for an integrated, seamless technology stack (whether it be on a network or in the cloud), for most, users, the most relevant eco system is still their desktop and the productivity tools on it. This has been our focus at Vertabase since version 4.0 and is certainly the case in version 4.5.  And again, ColdFusion has made this type of functionality easy to build.

The ways we look to integrate with the desktop world are places like, PDF, data manipulation, calendaring and email.

• PDF is the de facto electronic replacement to paper, and a standard for formatting a printer friendly output. People want a print-out that looks like what they see on screen. PDF was made for this and ColdFusion makes it easy to create PDF’s on the fly.
• For data manipulation, MS Excel is the dominant tool that people have on their desktop and in which they feel comfortable.  Exporting to CSV is an easy, convenient way to get data out of a web-based application and onto the desktop for users to work with further.  Here, again, ColdFusion makes it easy to do.
• For calendaring, many people use MS Outlook. ColdFusion can trigger appointments in MS Outlook using some readily available scripts.  ColdFusion 8 also introduced the ability to work directly with MS Exchange Server for shops that do want a more integrated back-end.
• Email remains the most used portal for people to connect from the internet to the device centric world -whether the device is the desktop or a mobile device.  Email is how people stay up to date on projects and issues in their workplace.  Email is how people can be reminded of what they have to do. With mobile devices, it can follow them everywhere.  The ability to send email and generate specific emails around business rules tied to user behavior in an application are fundamental functions in ColdFusion.

These are key components of a user’s desktop environment that ColdFusion makes easy to integrate with. (And that’s without even mentioning the new applications ColdFusion can help introduce on the desktop through AIR.)

I’ve gone on much longer than I like to, but hope to have conveyed why ColdFusion remains the most powerful language for developing rich internet applications. It has done a great job powering our application. It allows us to offer an ever more enhanced application experience and productivity solution to our users (while remaining cost effective in terms of development time).