The install experience for the CF Flex 2 Adapter is a little involved right now, but hey, it's Alpha :) The most important thing we wanted to do was to make sure that the Adapter was functional, worked well and was available simultaneously with Flex Builder 2 Alpha.
Have fun, and we'll see you this afternoon at the CF 3-hour session at 1:30PM where we'll spend some time talking about the awesome pairing of CF + Flex Builder 2, walkthrough some code and demos and give you a sense of what the near future of Internet application development looks like.
(As a reminder, this session is not repeated.)
Damon
Tim Buntel and I will kick it off and tag-team the first 30 min, then Tom Jordahl and Mike Nimer will dig into CF7 topics, including the Flex 2/CF stuff.
See you there!
Damon
1) You can write your app once, without regard to aggregator/provider, since the API is fixed in the SMPP standard, vs different aggregator web services API's. Change providers, you need to change your application with web service API’s.
2) Most efficient and scalable solution (direct SMPP point-to-point protocol used by wireless carriers themselves in inter-carrier SMS links). Nothing will get messages to devices from your app, or get messages FROM devices to your app faster than a true SMPP account.
3) Most secure solution, since it's a point-to-point protocol, typically secured inside a dedicated, encrypted VPN tunnel directly with the aggregator. They, in turn, maintain secure and direct point-to-point connections directly with wireless provider datacenters.
4) Gateway apps can easily be reused with any Gateway type without re-writing code (ie SMS app can be accessed via IM with little/no code changes).
5) Extreme power, reliability and flexibility: you get direct access and full control over all aspects of SMS, including all commands and optional parameters, message rate throttling, auto-rebind behavior, message I/O tracking (for reporting/cost control), etc, etc. All part of the SMPP standard.
For more on the CF7 SMPP Gateway (which is AT&T Wireless carrier-grade certified, BTW!), check out Chapters 42-44 in the CF7 Developers Guide.
Of course, SMPP accounts are not typically cheap, but you can find reasonably-priced accounts if you shop around. In the US/Canada, though, to get cross-carrier functionality you’ll want a US Short Code. More on that and other SMPP hook-up options here: https://dcooper.org/?mode=entry&entry=FC5CF329-4E22-1671-58B0869C57B5ABCA
Damon
(Here's the main press release in case you missed it: http://www.macromedia.com/macromedia/proom/pr/2005/announcing_flex2.html)
We've been working very hard for quite some time now to help make sure CF customers can take full advantage of this awesome platform from Day 1.
Stay tuned...I promise, there's NEVER been a more exciting time to be a CF developer/customer!
Damon
"DW 8 has gotten a lot faster and leaner...it’s way ahead of other tools in terms of CFML code support. It's even added some very HomeSite-esque coder features like the coding toolbar and code collapse. It's also very extensible and integrates with different tools. You don't have to touch design view any more."
"That's why I'm probably going to use DW8 as my first choice for CF -- and I am as code-centric as it gets baby. I was on the frontlines years ago championing HomeSite and code-centric features with the Dreamweaver team. I'm one of those HomeSite users that didn't notice when it dropped the design view tab. But the DW8 code editor has come a long way, and if I can come around to loving it, I think others can too."
Damon