<World-Wide Web, database, tool> {Allaire Corporation}'s
	commercial {database} application development tool that allows
	{databases} to have a {World-Wide Web} {interface}, so a
	database can be queried and updated using a {web browser}.

	The ColdFusion Server application runs on the {web server} and
	has access to a {database}.  ColdFusion files on the web
	server are {HTML} pages with additional ColdFusion commands to
	{query} or {update} the database, written in {CFML}.  When the
	page is requested by the user, the {web server} passes the
	page to the Cold Fusion application, which executes the {CFML}
	commands, places the results of the {CFML} commands in the
	{HTML} file, and returns the page to the {web server}.  The
	page returned to the {web server} is now an ordinary {HTML}
	file, and it is sent to the user.

	Examples of ColdFusion applications include order entry, event
	registration, catalogue search, directories, calendars, and
	interactive training.  ColdFusion applications are robust
	because all database interactions are encapsulated in a single
	industrial-strength {CGI} script.  The formatting and
	presentation can be modified and revised at any time (as
	opposed to having to edit and recompile {source code}).

	ColdFusion Server can connect with any database that supports
	{ODBC} or {OLE DB} or one that has a native database driver.
	Native database drivers are available for {Oracle} and
	{Sybase} databases.

	ColdFusion is available for {Windows}, {Solaris}, and {HP-UX}.
	A {development environment} for creating ColdFusion files,
	called ColdFusion Studio, is also available for {Windows}.

	Current version: MX(6), as of 2003-07-11.

	The {filename extension} for ColdFusion files is .cfm

	{Home (http://www.coldfusion.com/)}.

	(2003-07-27)

<security> An arbitrary string of characters chosen by a user
	or {system administrator} and used to authenticate the user
	when he attempts to log on, in order to prevent unauthorised
	access to his account.

	A favourite activity among unimaginative {computer nerds} and
	{crackers} is writing programs which attempt to discover
	passwords by using lists of commonly chosen passwords such as
	people's names (spelled forward or backward).  It is
	recommended that to defeat such methods passwords use a
	mixture of upper and lower case letters or digits and avoid
	proper names and real words.  If you have trouble remembering
	random strings of characters, make up an acronym like
	"ihGr8trmP" ("I have great trouble remembering my password").

	(1994-10-27)

The stage in the {software life-cycle} at the end of the
	development process where software is evaluated to ensure that
	it complies with the requirements.

	(1995-02-14)

In {object-oriented programming} sending a message to an
	{object} (to invoke a {method}) is equivalent to calling a
	{procedure} in traditional programming languages, except that
	the actual code executed may only be selected at run time
	depending on the {class} of the object.  Thus, in response to
	the message "drawSelf", the method code invoked would be
	different if the target object were a circle or a square.

	(1995-02-16)

1. A discrepancy between a computed, observed, or measured
	value or condition and the true, specified, or theoretically
	correct value or condition.

	2. <programming> A mental mistake made by a programmer that
	may result in a program {fault}.

	3. (verb) What a program does when it stops as result of a
	programming error.

	(2000-03-28)

<programming> The name given in {Smalltalk} and other
	{object-oriented languages} to a procedure or routine
	associated with one or more {classes}.  An {object} of a
	certain class knows how to perform actions, e.g. printing
	itself or creating a new instance of itself, rather than the
	function (e.g. printing) knowing how to handle different types
	of object.

	Different classes may define methods with the same name
	(i.e. methods may be {polymorphic}).  The term "method" is used
	both for a named operation, e.g. "PRINT" and also for the code
	which a specific class provides to perform tha
	t operation.

	Most methods operate on objects that are instances of a
	certain class.  Some object-oriented languages call these
	"object methods" to distinguish then from "{class methods}".

	In {Smalltalk}, a method is defined by giving its name,
	documentation, temporary local variables and a sequence of
	expressions separated by "."s.

	(2000-03-22)

<operating system, programming> The process of carrying out
	the {instructions} in a computer program by a computer.

	See also {dry run}.

	(1996-05-13)

<language, text> (XML) An initiative from the {W3C} defining
	an "extremely simple" dialect of {SGML} suitable for use on
	the {World-Wide Web}.

	{(http://www.w3.org/XML/)}.

	[Relationship to the {XSL} forthcoming subset of {DSSSL}?]

	(1997-11-20)

To produce something according to an {algorithm} or program or
	set of rules, or as a (possibly unintended) {side effect} of
	the execution of an algorithm or program.

	The opposite of {parse}.

	[{Jargon File}]

	(1995-06-15)

<architecture> {Data} transferred from a computer system to
	the outside world via some kind of {output device}.

	Opposite: {input}.

	(1997-04-28)

<programming> (Sometimes "var" /veir/ or /var/) A named memory
	location in which a program can store intermediate results and
	from which it can read it them.  Each {programming language}
	has different rules about how variables can be named, typed,
	and used.  Typically, a value is "assigned" to a variable in
	an {assignment} statement.  The value is obtained by
	evaluating an expression and then stored in the variable.  For
	example, the assignment

		x = y + 1

	means "add one to y and store the result in x".  This may look
	like a mathematical equation but the mathematical equality is
	only true in the program until the value of x or y changes.
	Furthermore, statements like

		x = x + 1

	are common.  This means "add one to x", which only makes sense
	as a state changing operation, not as a mathematical equality.

	The simplest form of variable corresponds to a single-{word}
	of {memory} or a {CPU} {register} and an assignment to a
	{load} or {store} {machine code} operation.

	A variable is usually defined to have a {type}, which never
	changes, and which defines the set of values the variable can
	hold.  A type may specify a single ("atomic") value or a
	collection ("aggregate") of values of the same or different
	types.  A common aggregate type is the {array} - a set of
	values, one of which can be selected by supplying a numerical
	{index}.

	Languages may be {untyped}, {weakly typed}, {strongly typed},
	or some combination.  {Object-oriented programming} languages
	extend this to {object} types or {classes}.

	A variable's {scope} is the region of the program source
	within which it represents a certain thing.  Scoping rules are
	also highly language dependent but most serious languages
	support both {local variables} and {global variables}.
	{Subroutine} and {function} {formal arguments} are special
	variables which are set automatically by the language runtime
	on entry to the subroutine.

	In a {functional programming} language, a variable's value
	never changes and change of state is handled as recursion over
	lists of values.

	(2004-11-16)

<language, World-Wide Web> (CFML) A {tag} based {markup}
	language used to create {ColdFusion} applications by embedding
	ColdFusion commands in {HTML} files.

	(1999-08-01)