After several attempts at writing this blog entry, I finally found the words to describe my experience at Adobe MAX. Though, I figure I don't have any real technical insight to offer. I'm a designer trying to describe developer content. I came to the conclusion that what I need to let the CF community know is that after attending MAX, I learned a lot about what developers are thirsty for. I did a lot of one-on-one's with speakers, sponsors, and attendees. Something I never have time to do at CFUnited. I really enjoyed hearing how much people loved CFUnited and the stage for ColdFusion that we've created. What I really liked hearing was new ideas for presentations.

I came to the realization that Adobe has put a lot of effort into finding out what tools, developers and designers alike, want and need to advance themselves and their work in the future. This includes CFUnited in my case. I want to create useful applications that mimic the message I've worked hard in creating. Uniting the community, spreading knowledge, and creating opportunity for those who are passionate about this technology. I think CFUnited can be more than just a one-week experience. With the number of people we can reach, I think we have a responsibility to display in a tangible sense the possibilities of these technologies. In addition, I think CF is great, however I think CFUnited should address more like Flex, AIR, Ajax, LiveCycle, Framework, etc. Keeping CF alive is all about keeping the community advancing. Its like if I bake chocolate chip cookies over and over again. They might get better and better each time because I stop burning them and learn how to use the oven correctly. But then I bring in some other tools and components to improve the recipe for the tasty experience I'm creating for my audience. I want to bring you the traditional chocolate chip cookie at its perfection and also introduce you to the many different flavors. Offering a taste of all these different languages and technologies lets you renew pleasure in these experiences. ... while still bringing you the down home goodness of the chocolate chip cookie we love.

The most exciting part about MAX was the keynotes! Wow, I have never been so blown away with what people are creating with these technologies. It almost makes me want to learn how to code so I can start making my own applications. I have tons of ideas! I was disappointed that ColdFusion was shortly mentioned, however it was positively displayed and made me think that CF has found its calling and will be around for a long time. They just announced ColdFusion 9 Centaur, I think for a 2009 release.

Stay tuned for the rest of my blog entry about MAX on Monday.