Allaire Corporation

Allaire Corporation was an American computer software company founded by brothers Jeremy Allaire and JJ Allaire in Minnesota in May 1995. It emerged during the early commercial expansion of the World Wide Web and focused on making the development of interactive, database-connected websites more accessible to professional developers and enterprise technology teams. Its defining product was ColdFusion, a rapid application development platform that combined a web application server with a tag-based scripting language known as ColdFusion Markup Language, or CFML. The technology was initially associated with Database Markup Language, or DBML, and allowed developers to connect web pages to relational databases without having to build every function in a lower-level programming language. This approach helped position Allaire as an important early supplier of commercial web-development software. Allaire began with the first release of the ColdFusion server in 1995. The product addressed a growing need for dynamic websites, online forms, searchable databases, transaction systems, and other server-side applications. Rather than treating web pages as static documents, ColdFusion provided a relatively approachable way to combine presentation, business logic, and data access. Its developer-oriented language and application-server model gave the company a distinctive position as businesses moved from brochure-style websites toward more interactive online services. The company expanded beyond the ColdFusion server. It acquired Bradbury Software's HomeSite, a web-authoring and source-code editing environment used by professional web developers, and developed ColdFusion Studio, an edition of HomeSite adapted for ColdFusion projects. Allaire also produced Spectra, an early web content-management system, and broadened its Java capabilities through acquisitions. In 2000 it acquired Live Software, founded by Paul Colton, bringing the JRun Java Servlet and JavaServer Pages server into its portfolio. That year it also acquired the Kawa Java integrated development environment from Tek-Tools Software. These moves reflected Allaire's effort to become a broader platform and tools provider for web and Java application development rather than a single-product company. Allaire became a publicly traded company through an initial public offering on NASDAQ in January 1999 under the ticker symbol ALLR. Its public-market period coincided with strong investor interest in internet infrastructure and enterprise web software. The company nevertheless operated in a competitive market that included web-server vendors, Java platform suppliers, development-tool companies, and larger software firms seeking to establish positions in online application development. In early 2001, rival Macromedia acquired Allaire for approximately $360 million. The transaction ended Allaire's independent corporate existence and brought ColdFusion, HomeSite, ColdFusion Studio, JRun, and related technologies into Macromedia's product portfolio. Macromedia was subsequently acquired by Adobe Systems in 2005 for approximately $3.4 billion. ColdFusion therefore continued under successive owners, while the Allaire name ceased to function as an independent operating software brand. The company's principal legacy is its role in popularizing a comparatively accessible model for building database-driven web applications and in helping establish ColdFusion as a durable commercial web-development technology.

Allaire Corporation was founded by brothers Jeremy Allaire and JJ Allaire in Minnesota in May 1995. Its formation coincided with the transition of the web from a largely document-oriented medium into a platform for interactive business applications. The founders sought to simplify the work required to create websites that could process forms, retrieve information from databases, and generate pages dynamically. The company's first ColdFusion server was released in 1995. ColdFusion used a tag-based language that later became known as ColdFusion Markup Language, or CFML. The language was initially called Database Markup Language and was designed to make database connectivity and dynamic page generation approachable to web developers who did not necessarily specialize in lower-level programming. ColdFusion's application-server features enabled organizations to build database-driven websites and other server-side applications with comparatively short development cycles. ColdFusion became the center of Allaire's identity, but the company developed a broader collection of tools. Allaire acquired HomeSite from Bradbury Software and used it as the foundation for ColdFusion Studio, a development environment tailored to ColdFusion work. HomeSite itself was a professional web-authoring and source-code editing product. Allaire also developed Spectra, an early web content-management system, extending its reach from application development into the management and delivery of web content. The company later pursued Java-related expansion. In 2000, it acquired Live Software, a company founded by Paul Colton in 1997. Live Software was known for JRun, one of the early commercial servers for Java Servlets and JavaServer Pages. Allaire also acquired the Kawa Java integrated development environment from Tek-Tools Software. These acquisitions complemented ColdFusion by giving Allaire products for Java application deployment and Java software development, and they reflected the convergence of web development, enterprise application infrastructure, and programming tools at the end of the 1990s. Allaire's growth took place in a crowded and rapidly changing software market. Its products competed indirectly or directly with web-server platforms, Java tools, authoring environments, and enterprise application technologies offered by larger companies. The company nevertheless established a recognizable position by emphasizing developer productivity and by presenting ColdFusion as a practical route to building data-connected web applications. Allaire held an initial public offering on NASDAQ in January 1999 under the symbol ALLR. The listing gave the company access to public capital and placed it within the internet-software investment cycle of the period. Its subsequent expansion through product development and acquisitions increased the breadth of its portfolio, but the company remained comparatively small relative to major software vendors seeking to consolidate web-development capabilities. In early 2001, Macromedia acquired Allaire for approximately $360 million. The transaction ended Allaire's independent operation and transferred its products and technologies to Macromedia. ColdFusion remained an important part of the combined company's web-development offerings, while HomeSite, ColdFusion Studio, JRun, and other assets became part of the broader Macromedia product history. When Adobe Systems acquired Macromedia in 2005 for approximately $3.4 billion, ColdFusion and related technology passed to Adobe. Allaire therefore survives primarily through the continued development and historical influence of products created during its independent existence.

• 2005

  Macromedia acquired by Adobe

  [1]Allaire Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  Adobe Systems acquires Macromedia, bringing ColdFusion and other former Allaire technologies under Adobe ownership.

• 2001

  Acquired by Macromedia

  [1]Allaire Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  Macromedia acquires Allaire for approximately $360 million, ending Allaire's independent corporate existence.

• 2000

  Expansion into Java infrastructure and tools

  [1]Allaire Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  Allaire acquires Live Software, bringing JRun into the company, and also acquires the Kawa Java IDE from Tek-Tools Software.

• 1999

  Initial public offering

  [1]Allaire Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  Allaire completes an initial public offering on NASDAQ under the ticker ALLR.

• 1995

  Allaire Corporation is founded

  [1]Allaire Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  Jeremy Allaire and JJ Allaire establish the company in Minnesota in May, focusing on software for web development.

• 1995

  First ColdFusion server released

  [1]Allaire Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  Allaire releases the first ColdFusion server, introducing a commercially focused approach to building database-driven websites with a tag-based language.

Enterprise and professional developer software for rapid web application development, database-connected websites, Java applications, and web content management.

• Web application development platform and application server · 1995

  ColdFusion

  Allaire's signature product, ColdFusion combined an application server with a tag-based scripting language for creating dynamic, database-connected websites and web applications. Its CFML approach abstracted many routine tasks involving database access, form processing, page generation, and server-side business logic. The product was aimed at professional developers and enterprise teams seeking faster application development. ColdFusion continued under Macromedia and later Adobe ownership.

• Web authoring and source-code editing

  HomeSite

  HomeSite was a professional web-authoring and development environment acquired by Allaire from Bradbury Software. It emphasized direct control over website source code and supported developers working on HTML and related web technologies. Allaire used HomeSite as the basis for ColdFusion Studio, while the HomeSite name represented the company's broader web-tools business beyond its application server.

• ColdFusion development environment

  ColdFusion Studio

  ColdFusion Studio was an edition of HomeSite extended for ColdFusion development. It provided an integrated environment for writing and managing ColdFusion applications and connected the company's web-authoring tools more closely with its application-server platform. The product illustrated Allaire's effort to offer a complete development workflow rather than only a runtime server.

• Java Servlet and JSP server

  JRun

  JRun was a commercial server for Java Servlets and JavaServer Pages developed by Live Software. Allaire acquired Live Software in 2000, adding Java application deployment capabilities to its existing web-development portfolio. JRun strengthened Allaire's position among organizations combining web applications with Java-based enterprise infrastructure.

• Java integrated development environment

  Kawa

  Kawa was a Java integrated development environment acquired by Allaire from Tek-Tools Software in 2000. Its addition broadened Allaire's offering from web runtimes and authoring tools into software-development tooling for Java programmers.

• Web content-management system

  Spectra

  Spectra was an early web content-management system developed by Allaire. It extended the company's scope from application construction and code editing into the organization, management, and delivery of web content for business websites.

• 2001

  Accept Macromedia acquisitionM&A

  Background

  Allaire operated in a consolidating web-software market and had assembled products spanning ColdFusion, web authoring, content management, and Java development.

  Action taken

  Macromedia acquired Allaire for approximately $360 million in early 2001.

  Aftermath

  Allaire ceased operating as an independent company. ColdFusion and related products continued within Macromedia and later passed to Adobe when Adobe acquired Macromedia in 2005.

  Acquisition value. Approximately $360 million (Early 2001)

  Source

• 2000

  Acquire Live Software and JRunM&A

  Background

  Allaire was broadening its web-development portfolio and seeking stronger capabilities in Java application deployment as enterprise web projects became more complex.

  Action taken

  Allaire acquired Live Software, bringing the JRun Java Servlet and JavaServer Pages server into its product portfolio.

  Aftermath

  The transaction expanded Allaire's platform beyond ColdFusion and web-authoring tools into commercial Java application infrastructure.

  Source

• 2000

  Acquire Kawa Java IDEM&A

  Background

  Allaire was pursuing a broader developer-tools strategy that included Java software development alongside its ColdFusion business.

  Action taken

  Allaire acquired the Kawa Java integrated development environment from Tek-Tools Software.

  Aftermath

  The acquisition added a Java development environment to Allaire's collection of web and enterprise software tools.

  Source

• 2005

  Adobe acquires Macromedia[1]Allaire Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Adobe Systems acquired Macromedia for approximately $3.4 billion, resulting in Adobe becoming the subsequent owner of ColdFusion and other former Allaire technologies.

• 2001

  Macromedia acquires Allaire[1]Allaire Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  M&A · Leadership change

  Macromedia acquired Allaire for approximately $360 million, integrating ColdFusion, HomeSite, JRun, and related technologies into its product portfolio.

• 2000

  Allaire acquires Live Software and JRun[1]Allaire Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Allaire acquired Live Software, adding JRun, a commercial Java Servlet and JavaServer Pages server, to its web-development portfolio.

• 2000

  Allaire acquires Kawa Java IDE[1]Allaire Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Allaire acquired the Kawa Java integrated development environment from Tek-Tools Software as part of its expansion into Java development tools.

• 1999

  Allaire completes initial public offering[1]Allaire Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Allaire became a publicly traded company on NASDAQ under the ticker ALLR during the period of rapid growth in internet and enterprise web-software investment.

1. 1Allaire Corporationen.wikipedia.org