With the big announcement of the release of open source BlazeDS on Labs, ColdFusion users have been trying to figure out which option is better for them - the full LiveCycle Data Services (LCDS) which is included with ColdFusion 8, or the new open source BlazeDS option.

BlazeDS is, for the most part, a subset of the full LCDS. It supports remoting and messaging, and it can be used with ColdFusion. And it's free. However, BlazeDS does not support data management (including the data synchronization functionality) which is one of the most appealing aspects of LCDS for ColdFusion users.

ColdFusion 8 can be installed with an embedded LCDS engine. If a license is provided then it is a full LCDS implementation, otherwise it is LCDS Express which has a single CPU license restriction.

So, should ColdFusion users stick with the integrated LCDS or use the new open-source BlazeDS?

If all you need is messaging (the ability to push from ColdFusion to the client), then BlazeDS may be a better option, if for no other reason than there is no license to worry about. But, if data management is important then LCDS is the better option.

We've been busy! AIR Beta 3 is on Labs, and here is a post that describes what's new in beta 3.

Title says it all. We just posted the latest (and final) beta of Flex Builder 3 on Labs.

BlazeDS is an open source Java remoting and web messaging technology that enables developers to easily connect to back-end distributed data and push data in real-time to Flex and AIR applications. Previously these were only available as part of LiveCycle Data Services, and today we announced that BlazeDS will be released under the LGPL v3, and along with it we'll also be releasing the specification for AMF (on which Remoting is built). BlazeDS is now on Labs, and Christophe Coenraets has posted lots of details.