Brian Rinaldi is an Applications Developer at Pongo Resume where he does Adobe ColdFusion and Adobe Flex development. Brian is an Adobe Community Expert and runs the Boston ColdFusion User Group. He also organizes the RIA Unleashed conference in Boston. Brian blogs regularly about ColdFusion, Flex and Ajax on his blog at remotesynthesis.com.
CFUnited session: Beginning Flex for ColdFusion Developers
Building Self-Updating ColdFusion Builder Extensions
1. Have you spoken at CFUnited in the past?
Yes, I spoke at both of the past two years - two years ago on RIA security and last year on the Mate Flex framework. This year I will be speaking on ColdFusion Builder extensions, which are, in my opinion, the most exciting feature in ColdFusion Builder.
2. Why should people attend your sessions?
Like I said, ColdFusion Builder extensions are the most exciting feature of ColdFusion Builder, allowing you to extend the Eclipse IDE using the CFML programming skills you already have. This opens up a world of possibilities in creating tools and customizing your IDE to meet your specific needs and/or the needs of your organization. This session will cover all the basics of building your own extensions and will add in the ability to auto-update those extensions using my Acme Boomerang project.
3. Do you have any projects in the works that you will be revealing at CFUnited?
Well, the Acme Boomerang for ColdFusion Builder project is already out but considering it plays a significant part in my presentation, I would expect some updates along the way.
4. Besides your topic, what other sessions are you looking forward to?
Well, I am hoping that we can keep the Flex track as top-notch as it was last year (especially considering I am track chair on that).
5. What are some of the hot topics you'd like to see at RoundTable discussions?
Hmmm...Well, we never seem short on items to debate. I thought last years CFML committee discussion was enlightening. I'd like to see a discussion on open source in CFML - like, for instance, get the leads of many of the open-source frameworks or professional open-source projects to discuss the challenges and benefits of open-source.
6. Where can people find you at CFUnited?
The first night, I will probably be at the bar until midnight - convincing myself that this time I will get some sleep rather than staying out far too late. Each night after that, you'll likely find me out at the bar progressively later.
7. What's the latest news with you? Has anything changed since last CFUnited?
Not much...thanks for asking! :)
8. What is unique about CFUnited?
It's still the single best opportunity to network within the ColdFusion developer community. I've been attending conferences for years but I never fail to meet many new people every time I go to this conference. The venue was outstanding with plenty of amenities and good food. The alcohol flowed well into the night - often out by bonfire. Oh yeah, and the sessions are great - last year was by far the best sessions I attended at a CFUnited.
9. What do you like to do in your free time?
Well, I own a lot of video games (with every system available on the market). Notice I said own and not play. I don't get to play them too much - between kids and work. I also listen to a lot of music.
