Cold Fusion 4.5 for Linux is available in two editions, and the final release is expected sometime in December. Currently Allaire is accepting orders for the Professional and Enterprise Editions. The Professional Edition is available for $995; that price will rise to $1,295 on 1/1/00. Cold Fusion Enterpise 4.5 for Linux (as well as Windows and UNIX, for that matter) costs $3,495. These prices are actually on the low side when compared to other application servers.

Our only hesitation about wholeheartedly recommending Cold Fusion 4.5 for Linux is the lack of some tools, such as a Linux version of Studio and better security controls, that are important in the Cold Fusion world. But this may be a somewhat unfair criticism, as Allaire has done a masterful job in migrating a complex application originally developed solely for Windows NT.

There's no doubt that both Allaire and the larger Linux community will benefit from the release of Cold Fusion 4.5 for Linux. Both have been seeking greater respect in the enterprise community, and with many of the new features found in Cold Fusion, the enterprise should sit up and take note. And, one would think, they'd decide that the affordable, powerful, and efficient Linux operating system makes the most sense for deployment in the enterprise.

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