Fusion Authority Quarterly Update

July 5, 2006 · 9 Comments

I've been a little remiss in not blogging this earlier but I really wanted to read through it and speak from a somewhat authoritative point of view. One of the major events at CFUNITED was the launch of the Fusion Authority Quarterly Update, a high-quality, perfect-bound digest-size ColdFusion journal, produced by Judith and Michael Dinowitz and their team of "elves". The introductory issue was freely distributed at the conference but this is going to be a paid subscription journal (I already paid my $50 for my first year's subscription). The first issue mostly covers ColdFusion MX 7 features that you may not be taking advantage of: Application.cfc, Flash forms, Reporting and the Asynchronous Event Gateway. There are also (what will be) regular columns covering the state of ColdFusion and hints and tips, as well as a section covering leading edge techniques and concepts. The first issue covers duck typing, test-driven development and Model-Glue: Unity. There is also a great introductory article on CFEclipse. The journal is beautifully put together - layout and color contribute to the readability of every article. There are just a handful of subtle adverts throughout the journal. If you're serious about keeping your skills up to date, you need to subscribe to this journal (and, if you missed the introductory issue, opt to buy it for $14.95!). I have several copies that I will be giving away at BACFUG (in August, probably, since I most likely will be down in San Jose for the July meeting). That should convince you to subscribe. As I said above, I've already paid my $50 for the next few issues - you should too!

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Tags: coldfusion · faqu

9 responses so far ↓

1 Lola Lee Beno // Jul 6, 2006 at 4:22 AM

I've been wishing for something like this for quite a while. It's been at least 2-3 years since any CF books (other than CFWACK) were published so I've been prowling the blogs, downloading the CFDJ pdfs (can't quite bring myself to pay the subscription costs and I can no longer find the issues in local bookstores).
2 Joshua Curtiss // Jul 6, 2006 at 12:27 PM

Yeah, it's pricey for the amount of content, but there is no question that the content is supreme quality. I'll be subscribing soon myself.
3 Bryan Ashcraft // Jul 6, 2006 at 5:11 PM

I just hope it can arrive on time. Unlike CFDJ, which is constantly a month or two late. I just got the June issue now that it is July.

But those subscription renewals ariive many months ahead of time.

Hopefully this will be a solid replacement so I can ditch that CFDJ subscription!
4 Will // Jul 6, 2006 at 8:18 PM

I subscribed yesterday. It looks like it'll be another great CF resource. Awesome job by Michael and Judith!

I don't like reading online .... in bed or on the throne is the way to go, and this book is gonna be perfect for that.

Will
5 dickbob // Jul 7, 2006 at 5:14 AM

I've tried to subscribe but Google Checkout bombs out with "Oops! An error occurred while processing your request".

I've emailed Google (blackhole) and I've emailed Michael to see if there is any other way to pay. No luck so far.

Any one else have a prob with Google Checkout?
6 Judith Dinowitz // Jul 7, 2006 at 10:09 AM

Dickbob,

Are you sending from America? We found out after the fact that GoogleCheckout can not take non-American customers. But we are working on two alternatives... Please email me at editor@fusionauthority.com and let me know what the error is and we'll get on it right away.

Judith Dinowitz
Editor-in-Chief
Fusion Authority
7 dickbob // Jul 7, 2006 at 10:30 AM

Yes I'm in the UK.

All I get is "Oops! An error occurred while processing your request".

Keep me on your mailing list for alternative methods of payment.
8 Michael Dinowitz // Jul 7, 2006 at 10:35 AM

pricey-The first issue was 80 pages and we're moving the next one up to 100. We want to make sure we give a good product for the price and 400 pages a year for $50 is about the same thing you would pay for a book, but we're more up to date. :)

replacement for CFDJ - We really aren't looking to replace CFDJ as we have a different print schedule (quarterly), different size, much different editorial process and basically different everything. Think of us as a book cut into 4 parts rather than a magazine. Ditching CFDJ means that you may miss content that we don't cover as fast. Each issue has a 'theme' and if we do an OOP/Frameworks theme (Fall 2006 issue) then we're missing other things that CFDJ may cover in that time period. And having more CF resources is a good thing. :)

Google error-I'm looking into all errors and am in contact with Google. I'll have a terminal set up next week for those who don't want to use Google or can't (international). We're trying to make it as smooth as possible when we take your money. :)
9 Dee Sadler // Jul 16, 2006 at 7:11 AM

Thanks Sean for being an advocate for the mag. I'm just the designer, but I can see what a great resource this will be. The next issue is jam packed with fantastic authors and content. Since I'm a Flash girl, OOP is very much on the top of my list of things to embrace and learn. As a designer who codes, it is essential for me to knock off old stigmas saying designers can't learn to code.

Thanks for the conversation about Acrobat at CFUnited. Made me feel more at home. Talking about something I actually know a lot about was great. An Especial thank you for being a Mac advocate. I only knew about you being an architect and using a Mac. I was shocked to say the least to see so many glowing Apples at the conference.

I also have a new respect for CF developers after being at the conference. All the big names were there, and absolutely no egos. As a designer, whew, there are so many egos floating around that I don't know how any of them fit through any doors. I admit I expected that at CFUnited. After all it's a place for them to shine and be looked up to, but apparently they all just love to share. I LOVE that.

Dee
KCWebCore Manager
Fusion Authority Quarterly: Creative Director

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