Kelly Brown

In just a few years the Web has exploded and now consists of millions of sites. Accompanying this boom are thousands of companies that host these sites. But the technologies behind the sites are still immature and stories like that in Timeline 1 (see below) are not uncommon. The scenario in Timeline 1 is true; the names have been removed to protect the innocent (me) from a lawsuit. I have many other horror stories and not just from this particular hosting company. Every host I've worked with has had problems to various degrees. Having your site go down is bad for any company, but for a Web-based company it can be a death sentence. People quickly lose confidence in a site with technical problems, and a million other companies are just a click away. Types of Hosting In an... (more)

CFUNITED is still Fun

The crowded auditorium was abuzz with anticipation. The snatches of conversation from around you were meaningless jargon to those not in the know. A hush fell over the crowd as the moment they were waiting for arrived - Ben Forta walking on stage. Okay, he's not rock star, but the closest thing to it in the ColdFusion community. If you didn't attend the CFUNITED (www.cfunited.com) confere... (more)

Introducing Spry

If you've been to Adobe Labs lately or keep up with the blogosphere you've probably heard the buzz about Spry. It's a new AJAX framework from Adobe. It lets designers build rich Internet applications with little or no programming. The Adobe-Macromedia combine has been pushing RIAs for years and its vision is just now moving into the mainstream. Adobe had three goals when creating Spry: ope... (more)

E-Commerce with Verisign's Payflow Link

E-commerce, for most people, means purchasing an item on the Web. This multistep process involves product selection, payment, and product delivery. This article focuses on the payment process. What Is Payflow Link? Payflow Link is a credit card processing system. It integrates with your Web site, allowing customers to make purchases using credit cards. As there are other systems available... (more)

Creating a Custom XML Editor in ColdFusion

It's almost impossible to pick up a trade magazine these days and not find a reference to XML. It's an important enabling technology for the sophisticated Web applications of the future. This article will cut through some of the hype to explain what XML can be used for and, equally important, how it can work effectively with ColdFusion. To illustrate how these two technologies can be used... (more)