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Server Applications

ColdFusion

Company Page Home Page Release Notes License:
Commercial; $1,299

Current Version: 9.0 (October 8, 2009)

Adobe (formerly Macromedia, Inc.) produces the ColdFusion web content server, written in Java for Mac OS X.

Version 9 includes a variety of fixes and enhancements that are best described in the online release notes. Highlights include:

  • ColdFusion 9 unveils three main themes: unrivaled developer productivity, deep enterprise integration, and simple workflow with Adobe Flash Builder, Adobe AIR , and AJAX software to create expressive applications.
  • Office file interoperability lets you easily read, write, and update spreadsheets; Object Relational Mapping lets you build database independent applications without writing SQL; and Server Manager lets you centrally manage multiple ColdFusion servers, simplifying administration of your environment across clusters.
  • This release has improved application performance with more granular control over code, templates, and applica- tions.
  • You can integrate ColdFusion applications across a multitude of technologies in the enterprise environments. Also, you can leverage enterprise services from ColdFusion 9 to access data from existing infrastructure including Microsoft SharePoint, Exchange, .NET, Java Objects, and IMAP.
  • Integration between ColdFusion and the Flash Platform empowers you to build rich Internet applications from client to server easily. This release has built-in support for Adobe AIR Local/Remote Database Synchronization.
  • Enhanced Ajax controls facilitate building of visually pleasing applications with improved usability. You can achieve this by writing less code and not bothering about the inner workings of Ajax.

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Also See . . .

Can't find what you're looking for? Try a search:

Also, if you have an older Mac, be sure to check out the "Classic" applications page for more options.

Finally, take a look at ALEMIA if you think you know that name of an application, but aren't quite sure.

Built Into Mac OS X

Mac OS X has a huge amount of TCP/IP-based server software built into it that I don't specifically cover here. Your "Sharing" Preference Pane allows you to enable and disable these services with a click of the mouse. The software running behind the scenes to provide many of these services is generally of the open source variety. The standard release of Mac OS X includes, among many others:

  • Apache httpd (web server; enabled via the Sharing Preference Pane).
  • Postfix (mail server; see Mac OS X Hints for more information).
  • tnftpd (FTP server; enabled via the Sharing Preference Pane).
  • OpenSSH (Secure Shell server; enabled via the Sharing Preference Pane via "Remote Login" but additionally configurable via selected applications listed on this page).
  • BIND (Domain Name System server; see Mac OS X Hints for more information).
  • Samba (Windows file sharing; enabled via the Sharing Preference Pane).
  • XFree86 (X Window server; enabled via the "X11" application in your "Utilities" folder, if you elected to install it with Mac OS X).

Of course, Mac OS X Server includes many more, in addition to offering more recent versions of many of the above servers.

Related Links

Graham Orndorff has written a superb collection of articles on setting up email servers and secure email clients on Mac OS X.

Also Consider . . .

These are applications that are newer and of potential interest, but which I haven't yet selected for permanent inclusion. Have a look, and let me know if you think they deserve to be part of the permanent collection!