I’m getting into Flash/Flex development and my main background is PHP. I keep reading that ColdFusion works really well with Flash and Flex applications. Here’s my situation though - I’m not planning to create full Flash websites. I just want to add some Flash components to regular websites for better user experience. Given this approach, I’m wondering if switching from PHP to ColdFusion would actually benefit me. Since I’m pretty new to Flash development, I’m not sure if my thinking is correct. Would love some advice on comparing these two backend options. Will I miss out on important features or tools if I stick with PHP instead of using ColdFusion for my Flash integration? Any insights about the pros and cons would be really helpful.
wait, are you using actionScript 3 or older flash? that completely changes everything. what components do you need - video players, data grids, or just basic animations? php works fine, but it depends on how complex your flash stuff gets. what specific flash features do you actually need?
I’ve worked with both for Flash integration, and honestly? Stick with PHP for what you’re doing. Sure, ColdFusion has built-in Flash Remoting and they’re both Adobe products, but that’s not a big deal for your situation. You’re adding Flash components to existing sites, not building full Flash apps. Learning ColdFusion will eat up time you could spend getting better at Flash/Flex instead. PHP handles JSON perfectly for talking to Flash, has tons of community libraries, and costs way less to host. Plus you already know PHP - that beats ColdFusion’s Flash features. The integration isn’t complicated when you’re not dealing with data-heavy apps.
Honestly, coldfusion’s overkill if you’re just adding a few flash components. I’ve been doing web dev for years - unless you’re building serious enterprise apps with heavy data exchange, php handles everything you need. The cf learning curve isn’t worth it when you’re already comfortable with php and just want to enhance existing sites.