Thursday, December 04, 2003
Coral: Another flavour of CFML?
At first glance Coral looks like another CFML engine -- similar to say BlueDragon. But on closer inspection it seems to be aimed at using CFML to develop desktop applications -- that is a compiled CF app and webserver bundled together.
"CORAL is a complete solution. A Web server and CFML/ASP processing engine all bundled into one easy to install application, that allows you to deploy web applications like standard windows based programs. "
http://www.pcaonline.com/coral/index.cfm
There is no runtime license -- it appears that you just buy the developer IDE and then distribute at will. The tag support looks surprisingly comprehensive (though circa CF5). It's even clever enough to let you distribute a database as MS Access and hook into the datasource without configuring ODBC on the client.
I have to admit I'm intrigued. I've downloaded the demo and once I've given it a whirl I'll report back. My thanks to Matt Liotta for pointing me in the direction of this CF oddity.
Posted by modius at 11:33 PM | Permalink
Trackback: http://blog.daemon.com.au/cgi-bin/dmblog/mt-tb.cgi/187
I love the idea. Could I finally dump my client's MS Access desktop apps?
Posted by: Andrew on December 5, 2003 12:53 AM
I always thought something like this would be cool. PHP is becoming a desktop language, why not CFML?
Obviously if it was opensource it would be versioned at less than 1.01! Once the dots are joined though, it should be pretty cool.
Posted by: Alan Hill on December 5, 2003 02:02 AM
Well, I wouldn't too quickly compare it to BlueDragon (or CF) in terms of tag support. Is its support of 20-some tags "really comprehensive"? BlueDragon has more than twice as many, and nearly all those that CF has. I'd liken this more to CF Express from the 4.5 timeframe, which was intriguing and useful for limited scope apps.
And considering that our Server edition is free, for deployment (not even a developer license fee as with Coral), you're getting a log more for less.
I don't want to dismiss it outright: they're offering some interesting deployment options that may be of value to some. (Just be sure not to install it on a machine already running a web server at port 80: it presumes it can use that port).
It's just kind of interesting that many for so long derided BlueDragon has not having CFMX functionality, and now along comes Coral with far less and it's getting a lot of coverage as intriguing.
Still, seeing multiple vendors in the space is certainly a good thing from the standpoint of demonstrating the vitality of CFML. We've always wanted to preserve its place in the IT community.
Posted by: Charlie Arehart on December 5, 2003 11:41 AM
I think the reason it is getting some good press is the deployment model and pricing is very favorable. I pay a developers fee and then can distribute all I want.
If I understand the Blue Dragon licensing, it would cost a lot more to do something like this.
Not to say that Blue Dragon isn't worth it... but sometimes you need a low cost cfml client machine deployment option.
Posted by: Randy on December 5, 2003 03:29 PM
The reason I find the product intriguing (as opposed to useful) is that it seems to be selling a desktop app concept and not a server app, as I mention in the post. I think Coral is a curiosity only; it's hardly in the same league as the BlueDragon and CFMX server products.
Posted by: Geoff Bowers on December 5, 2003 04:28 PM
Now if Coral was java-based......
Posted by: Alan Hill on December 5, 2003 09:32 PM
It's another useful tool to have in your carpenter's bag.
It is very useful if, for example, you want/need to deloy data collection or display apps on laptops that go to the field, etc. using the CFML language (instead of Access or FoxPro or VB or Paradox or ...)
And you can do it legally without need for buying/configuring either Cold Fusion or Blue Dragon and IIS on each laptop.
The only cost is an upfront cost of a single developers Coral license which now is $185.
In these and similar cases, it is doubtfull that you need full CFMX compatibility anyway.
Also, stay tunned, it is now much more complete than it was last November and is in continued development.
Posted by: Arden Weiss on April 9, 2004 02:28 AM
I love the idea. Could I finally dump my client's MS Access desktop apps?
Posted by: Andrew on December 5, 2003 12:53 AM
I always thought something like this would be cool. PHP is becoming a desktop language, why not CFML?
Obviously if it was opensource it would be versioned at less than 1.01! Once the dots are joined though, it should be pretty cool.
Posted by: Alan Hill on December 5, 2003 02:02 AM
Well, I wouldn't too quickly compare it to BlueDragon (or CF) in terms of tag support. Is its support of 20-some tags "really comprehensive"? BlueDragon has more than twice as many, and nearly all those that CF has. I'd liken this more to CF Express from the 4.5 timeframe, which was intriguing and useful for limited scope apps.
And considering that our Server edition is free, for deployment (not even a developer license fee as with Coral), you're getting a log more for less.
I don't want to dismiss it outright: they're offering some interesting deployment options that may be of value to some. (Just be sure not to install it on a machine already running a web server at port 80: it presumes it can use that port).
It's just kind of interesting that many for so long derided BlueDragon has not having CFMX functionality, and now along comes Coral with far less and it's getting a lot of coverage as intriguing.
Still, seeing multiple vendors in the space is certainly a good thing from the standpoint of demonstrating the vitality of CFML. We've always wanted to preserve its place in the IT community.
Posted by: Charlie Arehart on December 5, 2003 11:41 AM
I think the reason it is getting some good press is the deployment model and pricing is very favorable. I pay a developers fee and then can distribute all I want.
If I understand the Blue Dragon licensing, it would cost a lot more to do something like this.
Not to say that Blue Dragon isn't worth it... but sometimes you need a low cost cfml client machine deployment option.
Posted by: Randy on December 5, 2003 03:29 PM
The reason I find the product intriguing (as opposed to useful) is that it seems to be selling a desktop app concept and not a server app, as I mention in the post. I think Coral is a curiosity only; it's hardly in the same league as the BlueDragon and CFMX server products.
Posted by: Geoff Bowers on December 5, 2003 04:28 PM
Now if Coral was java-based......
Posted by: Alan Hill on December 5, 2003 09:32 PM
It's another useful tool to have in your carpenter's bag.
It is very useful if, for example, you want/need to deloy data collection or display apps on laptops that go to the field, etc. using the CFML language (instead of Access or FoxPro or VB or Paradox or ...)
And you can do it legally without need for buying/configuring either Cold Fusion or Blue Dragon and IIS on each laptop.
The only cost is an upfront cost of a single developers Coral license which now is $185.
In these and similar cases, it is doubtfull that you need full CFMX compatibility anyway.
Also, stay tunned, it is now much more complete than it was last November and is in continued development.
Posted by: Arden Weiss on April 9, 2004 02:28 AM