MACROMEDIA COLDFUSION MX 6.1 NOW AVAILABLE
New release dramatically increases performance, simplifies installation and migration, and streamlines product line
San Francisco, CA—August 5, 2003—Macromedia, Inc. (Nasdaq: MACR) today announced the immediate availability of Macromedia ColdFusion MX 6.1, which extends the product's unmatched ability to deliver speed, savings, and standards to web application development. Customers including Casio, Nissan, Sandals and Beaches resorts, and UCLA are among the thousands of organizations using Macromedia ColdFusion MX to deliver their critical applications (see attached quote sheet). For more information on Macromedia ColdFusion MX 6.1, visit www.macromedia.com/go/cfmx/.
"Macromedia ColdFusion MX currently meets the demands of thousands of organizations, giving them a competitive advantage building Internet applications," said Phil Costa, senior product manager, Macromedia. "This update gives users better stability and reliability as well as substantial performance gains. "
"Performance and productivity are two key metrics for application server software, and ensuring that both continue to increase with each new update is the hallmark of a successful company," said Rikki Kirzner, research director, IDC. "Application servers built on open standards that integrate closely with development tools and maintain an active community online are definitely at an advantage in the new economy."
Performance benchmarks of Macromedia ColdFusion MX 6.1 demonstrate runtime improvements of up to 172 percent over ColdFusion 5, which translates into a better end-user experience and reduced infrastructure costs over time. In addition, dynamic e-mail generation has been dramatically enhanced, enabling users to deliver messages more than 50 times faster than with previous releases.
ColdFusion MX 6.1, previously code-named "Red Sky," is also easier to use and administer, with increased backward compatibility, improved installation and configuration tools, and updated Windows, Solaris, and Linux OS version support. ColdFusion MX 6.1 also includes a new offering of bundled installation support, providing customers with direct access to expert technical assistance.
The ColdFusion MX editions have been streamlined as part of this update, so users can more easily select the option that fits their needs. ColdFusion MX 6.1 is available in both an Enterprise and Standard edition.
The new Enterprise Edition provides everything customers need to deliver advanced applications with high performance, security, and reliability. ColdFusion MX Enterprise can be deployed as a standalone server, on the bundled version of Macromedia JRun, or on third-party application servers such as IBM WebSphere, BEA WebLogic, or Sun ONE. As a result, customers can more easily integrate ColdFusion with their chosen environment while increasing security and reliability by isolating applications in separate instances of ColdFusion running on a single server.
The entry-level edition has been renamed ColdFusion MX Standard and is targeted for organizations building basic websites and small to medium-sized applications.
ColdFusion is the Macromedia MX solution for rapidly building and deploying powerful web applications and web services. More than 10,000 companies worldwide, including 75 of the Fortune 100 and 20 of the Media Metrix Top 50 Web Properties, use Macromedia ColdFusion to deliver powerful web applications and web services with less training time and fewer lines of code.
Pricing and Availability
Macromedia ColdFusion MX 6.1 is available for immediate purchase from the Macromedia
Online Store (www.macromedia.com/store/). The update is free
for existing ColdFusion MX customers. ColdFusion MX Standard 6.1 is priced
at $1299 per
server, with upgrades from ColdFusion 4.5 and 5 at $649 per server.
ColdFusion MX Enterprise 6.1 is priced at $5999 per two processors, with
upgrades from
ColdFusion 4.5 and 5 available for $2999 per two processors. Volume,
education, and government licensing is available. Detailed information and
the update
can be found at www.macromedia.com/go/cfmx/.
About Macromedia
Experience matters. Macromedia, Inc. is motivated by the belief that great
experiences build great businesses. Our software empowers millions of business
users, developers, and designers to create and deliver effective, compelling
and memorable experiences – on the Internet, on fixed media, on wireless, and
on digital devices.
BETA CUSTOMERS BENEFIT FROM INCREASED PERFORMANCE, ENHANCEMENTS IN COLDFUSION
MX 6.1
Casio, Inc.
"ColdFusion MX 6.1 is the release I have been waiting for. The
compatibility and improved migration tools made the upgrade easy, and we can
immediately
benefit from the increased performance. Plus, since the J2EE capabilities are
now included in ColdFusion MX Enterprise, we can begin to leverage features
like multiple instances and integration with back-end Java components."
- Nathanael Waite, Internet systems manager, Casio, Inc.
Eclipse Advertising, Inc.
"ColdFusion MX 6.1 solidifies its position as the best solution
for web development. With increased compiler and runtime performance, ColdFusion
MX 6.1 proves,
once again, that it is the server of choice for rapid application development
at both the professional and enterprise levels. Enhancements to CFMAIL provide
an industrial-strength tool for high performance mail handling, including the
ability for SMTP authentication - a feature not supported in ASP.NET."
- Scott Van Vliet, senior technical analyst, Eclipse Advertising, Inc., a
Macromedia Alliance partner
Nissan North America
"This is a great update to ColdFusion MX. When we saw the improved
responsiveness in the Nissan Digital Asset Management System during the beta
program, we were
excited to move version 6.1 into production. Updating our servers was easy,
and we're experiencing better performance and stability. Now we plan to start
taking advantage of some of the great feature enhancements, like improvements
to CFHTTP, web services, and CFMAIL."
- Linda Kato, manager, advertising creative, Nissan North America
Sandals and Beaches resorts
"Macromedia ColdFusion MX 6.1 has dramatically stabilized and
improved performance on all of our applications, especially our Sandals and
Beaches Online Booking
Engine, which we designed using ColdFusion Components and web services. The
install was fast and easy. We migrated and upgraded our MX servers in as little
as 10 minutes. With our high traffic and mission critical applications, Macromedia
ColdFusion MX 6.1 exceeds our expectations and has helped us to build robust
and mission critical applications with ease."
- Luis Majano, senior software engineer, Sandals and Beaches resorts
UCLA School of Theater, Film & Television
"This is the easiest ColdFusion upgrade yet, particularly for
those already running ColdFusion MX. Those who haven't upgraded from earlier
versions need
to see what they're missing, both in terms of speed and functionality. The
new attributes for CFHTTPPARAM simplify the process of calling web services
(particularly SOAP), and CFMAIL is now as robust a tag as anyone doing mass
e-mailing could want."
- Angela McGregor, web application programmer, UCLA School of Theater, Film & Television
