Ben Forta

CFUNITED 2005 day 1 has wrapped, and the consensus seems to be that this year’s event has surpassed previous events (aside from the number of attendees, over 850) both in quality of content, as well as in general buzz and atmosphere.
I did not attend any sessions today (and won’t tomorrow either, I have customer meetings scheduled). But I did take part in the “Meet the CF Engineering Team” BOF this evening, and the crowd asked great questions pertaining to features, futures, positioning, and more.
But what impressed me most today was the previously mentioned buzz. This event tends to attract a very dedicated and passionate ColdFusion user base, and ColdFusion was being discussed and debated in the hallways, at the bar, in the elevators, out on the terrace … opinions, questions, arguments, methodologies, futures, best-practices, positioning … you name it, it’s here, and lots of it, too.
More than one developer commented on feeling invigorated, stating that ColdFusion developers sometimes feel isolated, swimming upstream, and that the energy at events like this restore their faith and passion for ColdFusion.
And I fully appreciate those sentiments. The importance of community and community events cannot be overstated. Community has always been ColdFusion’s biggest asset, and groggily making my way back up to my room at 1:00am, I can attest to the fact that the community is alive and well!