I was hoping to have more time to get my ducks in a row before making an official announcement, but something's come up with a sense of urgency, so I'm just going to kind of unload on you. Sorry about that.
I'm taking over as the manager of the Philly CFUG. I'm still working out the details of organizing our next meeting, but in the meantime I've setup a Twitter account, should you care to follow it.
Now, on to more pressing matters. I just posted this to the PhillyCFUG blog, and it went out via email to the blog subscribers. I figure it can't hurt to cross-post it here as well.
Automated Financial Systems, in Exton, is looking for a ColdFusion developer for immediate assistance. Some experience in server administration would be a bonus.
They don't have an in-house resource for ColdFusion development, but have an immediate need to address errors that their website is generating, as well as a security issue; and they hope to have these problems addressed by Wednesday of next week - November 4th.
In addition, they would like assistance upgrading from an older version of ColdFusion (they think 5) to version 7.
Contact Jerry ThompSon via email (JThompSon@afsvision.com) or via mobile phone (610-496-1456).
I've been using MAMP Pro for a while to do local ColdFusion development on my Macbook. It makes installing, configuring, and connecting Apache, MySQL, and (shudder) PHP an absolute breeze. And with a little bit of know-how, you can add ColdFusion into the mix to make a stack that is not only easy to use, but fun. When I was consulting, it was well worth the $60 pricetag to be able to use multiple hostnames, but if you only need 1 hostname or are perfectly happy to work out of subfolders of http://localhost/, then the free version of MAMP would be fine for you.
I'm not going to show you how to install ColdFusion 9 into MAMP Pro, because there is already a great video that shows how to install ColdFusion 8 into MAMP Pro, and the install process for CF9 is not different enough to warrant a whole new video by itself. Instead, I'm going to show you how to fix an error that I consistently ran into during the installation process detailed in that video.
At right around the 19 minute mark of that video, the presenter has completed installing ColdFusion and configured MAMP to connect to it; so he restarts his MAMP services to give it a go. At this point, I get the error:
Start Apache failed Apache wasn't able to start. Please check log for more information.
The work is challenging and engaging, you'll work with several other ColdFusion developers, the clients -- ivy league professors, students, and staff -- have high expectations, the pay and benefits are competitive if not superior, and the work conditions are excellent (Example: free Starbucks coffee).
If that sounds like the kind of development shop you want to work for, and you're in the greater Philadelphia area (or willing to relocate) then you should check out our job postings. (Search for "ColdFusion" in the description field)
Yesterday at Adobe MAX, it was announced that Flash will now compile into a native iPhone application. This is big news. Huge, even! But it's also a poke in the eye to everyone who has been clamoring for a Flash Player plugin for the phone's Safari web browser, which is to say: millions of iPhone owners and countless people who refuse to buy one because of its lack of Flash support.
Not to take away from what Adobe Engineers have done -- because it actually is pretty cool that Flash will compile into a native iPhone application -- but this is a bait and switch. This does (almost?) nothing for the real complaint: That embedded Flash widgets on the web (via the phone's Safari browser) are not usable. Apple's claim that the whole web is at your fingertips is still a bold faced lie.
And let's be honest. Everyone knows it's Apple that's holding out, because they know all too well that the minute they let Flash onto the iPhone everyone will start writing their apps as Flash and posting them on the web, and stop jumping through Apple's App Store hoops -- and donating a percentage of their profits to Apple for the privilege. But while we're being honest, it's only fair to say that it's Apple's device, and it is certainly credit-worthy that they had foresight enough to know that Flash would hurt their business model. It's their device, and they are willing to suffer whatever consequences may come from their decision to block Flash. Obviously they're suffering... all the way to the bank.
That said, it would be refreshing if Steve Jobs would just come out and admit that they're not going to let Flash onto the iPhone because it would hurt their business. Part of me thinks the honesty and openness could itself hurt business, because I'm sure there are hold-outs out there, hoping and praying for Flash every night before bed; and admitting on public record that it will never happen could drive them away, but beating around the bush with answers like "we're working on it" and "we want it to happen" might fool some people into keeping their hopes alive. But it's possible that such openness could help, too. People might find the honesty and transparency refreshing -- I know I would -- and be more open to the idea of adopting the phone. But it won't happen. Apple isn't exactly known for its transparency.
So, while I applaud Adobe for their engineering efforts, I think that this is a bad marketing move. Call a spade a spade, call a plugin a plugin, and don't try to pull the wool over people's eyes. I understand that Adobe has a working relationship with Apple that they need to maintain, and I don't have a problem with that. But I still feel dirty, like some shady back-alley dealer is pushing this Flash-iPhone compiler on me when I asked for a Safari plugin. And that itself takes away from the respect that the technology deserves.
Full disclosure: I have an iPhone and love it to death; and I love Flash and Flex. I'd love to see them together on the iPhone, but I don't think it will ever happen.
