2025-01-28 Weekly News — Episode 227

Watch the video version on YouTube at https://youtube.com/live/H8Ht5xYgUFA?feature=share

Hosts:

• Gavin Pickin - Senior Developer at Ortus Solutions
• Eric Peterson - Senior Developer at Ortus Solutions

Big Thanks to our Sponsor - Ortus Solutions

The makers of ColdBox, CommandBox, ForgeBox, TestBox and all your favorite box-es out there including BoxLang.
A few ways to say thanks back to Ortus Solutions:

• Buy Tickets to Into the Box 2025 in Washington DC https://t.co/cFLDUJZEyM
• April 30, 2025 - May 2, 2025 - Washington, DC
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• Help ORTUS reach for the Stars - Star and Fork our Repos
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• BOXLife store: https://www.ortussolutions.com/about-us/shop
• Buy Ortus’s Books
  • 102 ColdBox HMVC Quick Tips and Tricks on GumRoad (http://gum.co/coldbox-tips)
  • Now on Amazon! In hardcover too!!!
  • https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CJHB712M
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Patreon Support (resplendent)
We have 62 patreons:
https://www.patreon.com/ortussolutions.

News and Announcements

Beware that ColdFusion 2021 end-of-life (and end of updates) is coming Nov 2025, and your options
Are you still running ColdFusion 2021? While it's still supported/updated by Adobe, did you know that its end-of-life is coming just several months from now, Nov 10, 2025? That's the date when "core" support for that release ends--meaning no more updates from Adobe after that, not even security fixes.
What about more recent releases, if you may wonder? CF 2023 (the current latest release) will get updates into 2028 (5 years after it was release). And there's the coming CF 2025 release, currently in pre-release (as I have recently blogged about), which is of course a great sign for the continued vitality of CF.

But this looming deadline for CF2021 is a reminder that as the years roll on, we not only get new versions but we must say good-bye to old ones.

Wondering what you can do? or when CF2023 or CF2025 support will end also? And what's the difference between "core" support and the available "extended" support which Adobe sells? (The extended support plan does NOT provide updates beyond this coming November.) For more on these, including official Adobe documentation that discusses such things, as well as my thoughts on migration, costs, various options to consider, and more, do read on.
https://www.carehart.org/blog/2025/1/9/coldfusion2021_end_of_life_nov_2025

Java updates of Jan 21, 2025 for 8, 11, 17, 21, and 23: thoughts and resources
It's that time again: there are new JVM updates released today (Jan 21, 2025) for the current long-term support (LTS) releases of Oracle Java, 8, 11, 17, and 21, as well as the new short-term release 23. (The previous short-term release, Java 22, is no longer updated.)
TLDR: The new updates are 1.8.0_441 (aka 8u441), 11.0.26, 17.0.14, 21.0.6, and 23.0.2, respectively. Crazy that there are now 5 current Java releases, I realize. More below, including more on each of them including what changed as well as bug fixes and the security fixes each version contains (including their CVE scores regarding urgency of concerns), which are offered in Oracle resources I list below.

Oracle calls these updates "critical patch updates" (yep, "CPU"), but they are in fact scheduled quarterly updates, so that the "critical" aspect of this nomenclature may sometimes be a bit overstated. As is generally the case with these Java updates, most of them have the same changes and fixes across the four JVM versions, though not always.

For some folks, that's all they need to hear. For others, read on.

Whether this is your first time updating Java or your fiftieth, there are some things that you may or may not know.
https://www.carehart.org/blog/2025/1/21/java_updates_jan_2025

Into the Box Round 1 of Sessions and Workshops are now out!
Our first round of sessions and workshops for Into the Box 2025 is here! Get ready to dive into a world of modern web development with hands-on workshops and engaging sessions led by Ortus Solutions and Community CFML and BoxLang experts. Visit intothebox.org to explore what’s in store—this is just the beginning, with much more content coming soon!
https://www.ortussolutions.com/blog/into-the-box-round-1-of-sessions-and-workshops

Last chance to save 25% off CF2023, for those on CF2018 and earlier
Here's great news for those still running CF2018 or earlier, who may have been holding off upgrading to CF2023 (because you would have to pay full price for it). It's news I first shared back in July, and the deal has been extended one last time, thus this post.
TLDR; Now through Feb 28, 2025 those running CF9, 10, 11, 2016 or 2018 can upgrade to CF2023 for 25% off its full price. (Those running CF2021 can already/always could upgrade at 50% off the full price.)

This is a deal offered only by Intergral, makers of FusionReactor, who are also resellers of CF. Adobe doesn't even offer this deal themselves. For more, see their blog post at https://fusion-reactor.com/blog/news/save-25-on-adobe-cf2023-upgrades/.

Act now, it could save you hundreds or even thousands of $$s on a single license!
https://www.carehart.org/blog/2025/1/17/last_chance_for_cf_upgrade_discount_from_cf2018_or_earlier

New Releases and Updates

TestBox v6.1.0 release
We’re super excited to announce the release of TestBox 6.1.0! This release introduces native support for BoxLang without the need for a compatibility mode, unlocking new possibilities for developers embracing BoxLang’s dynamic capabilities. Alongside this exciting update, we’ve added valuable features, improved functionality, and resolved key issues to ensure a smoother and more robust testing experience. Dive into the details and see how TestBox 6.1.0 makes your testing even more seamless and efficient!
https://www.ortussolutions.com/blog/testbox-v610-release

cbMockData v4
New name and new support for BoxLang!
https://forgebox.io/vie...