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CFML on an XBox
Today I installed BD v6.1b3 under Debian Linux. The best part, it is running on a Microsoft xbox gaming console! With only 64 megs of ram it is performing very well.So if you've wanted to build a CFML-based web application that might make sense running on an XBox, you now have an alternative. And New Atlanta's TrueBlue Partner Program offers compelling incentives and discounted runtime licensing and bundling to make selling a CFML app economically feasible for even low-cost products. Contact me to be put in touch with our sales staff if this interests you.With the exception of the start / stop / restart script that BD creates, all other aspects are working great.
If you're just interested in seeing BlueDragon run, you can download it free at our site. That page offers our 6.1 beta which is the latest and greatest version. Note that all our BlueDragon editions are available free as trials, remain free as single-IP developer editions after 30 days. We even offer one edition, our base BlueDragon Server edition, that's free even for production use. You don't have to pay us a thing, and you still get the support of a substantial, seven-year old company behind the product. The web site offers all the details (docs, FAQs, etc.) you should need to get started.
While Debian isn't listed as one of the tested Linux flavors supported by New Atlanta, FAQ 218 on the New Atlanta site explains that it has worked and does meet the minimum requirements for running BlueDragon on Linux.
Haha! that's great!.... of course it's a silly thing to do. Isn't it?
Steve Nelson [m@secretagents.com]
Steve, I don't know if you're asking seriously, but I would say it could be
silly to dismiss the Xbox as a relevant platform. Seriously. One never
knows how technologies will expand and be accepted, and often they move
beyond their original intentions. So is it silly to run a CFML app on an
XBox today? Who knows. But sometimes just the possibility of something
becomes the inspiration to its becoming reality. We just thought it was
kind of cool to hear of it.
Not only is it cool to see someone expanding the number of 'platforms' that
CF is available is on ( it was on my to-do list so I'm miffed someone beat
me to it1) but there is a good reason to use XBoxes - Cost.
An XBox is cheap (approx £100 here in the UK) so they're the closest thing to a 'disposable server' - want to put a server somewhere dangerous? Want to test running your app in a cluster but don't have a huge budget? Want to run a small app in a HA or DR situation? Need to deploy multiple kiosk style apps?
Cheap XBoxes can provide you with a solution by delivering just-enough power at a reasonable price.
Personally I’m thinking of building a BD / MySQL cluster across multiple XBoxes – not for a specific application, but just to gain more experience of working with distributed and clustered apps and DBs. (There’s no way I could afford multiple servers to just ‘play’ with!)
Just my 2
cents
-Adam
Adam [adam@nospam.sbprod.net]
Cool thinking, Adam. If you do that, please report your experiences on the
BlueDragon Interest List (mailing list), which you can sign up for (free)
at http://www.newatlanta.com/products/bluedragon/self_help/archive_search/i
ndex.cfm.