MACROMEDIA ColdFusion MX, Develop Manual, Page: 28 / 860

Chapter 1: Introduction to ColdFusion MX
About Internet applications and web application servers
With ColdFusion MX, you develop Internet applications that run on web application servers.
The following sections introduce Internet applications and web application servers. Later sections
explain the specific role that ColdFusion MX plays in this environment.
About web pages and Internet applications
The Internet has evolved from a collection of static HTML pages to an application deployment
platform. First, the Internet changed from consisting of static web pages to providing dynamic,
interactive content. Rather than providing unchanging content where organizations merely
advertise goods and services, dynamic pages enable companies to conduct business ranging from
e-commerce to managing internal business processes. For example, a static HTML page lets a
bookstore publish its location, list services such as the ability to place special orders, and advertise
upcoming events like book signings. A dynamic website for the same bookstore lets customers
order books online, write reviews of books they read, and even get suggestions for purchasing
books based on their reading preferences.
More recently, the Internet has become the underlying infrastructure for a wide variety of
applications. With the arrival of technologies such as XML, web services, J2EE (Java 2 Platform,
Enterprise Edition), and Microsoft .NET, the Internet has become a multifaceted tool for
integrating business activities. Now, enterprises can use the Internet to integrate distributed
activities, such as customer service, order entry, order fulfillment, and billing.
ColdFusion MX is a rapid application development environment that lets you build dynamic
websites and Internet applications quickly and easily. It lets you develop sophisticated websites
and Internet applications without knowing the details of many complex technologies, yet it lets
advanced developers take advantage of the full capabilities of many of the latest Internet
technologies.
About web application servers
To understand ColdFusion, you must first understand the role of web application servers.
Typically, web browsers make requests, and web servers, such as Microsoft Internet Information
Server (IIS) and the Apache web server, fulfill those requests by returning the requested
information to the browser. This information includes, but is not limited to, HTML and
Macromedia Flash files.
A web server’s capabilities are limited because all it does is wait for requests to arrive and attempt
to fulfill those requests as soon as possible. A web server does not let you do the following tasks:
•
Interact with a database, other resource, or other application.
•
Serve customized information based on user preferences or requests.
•
Validate user input.
A web server, basically, locates information and returns it to a web browser.