I posted this before but I don't think anybody noticed.

There is a nifty tracking tool that you can use with ColdFusion through its RSS feed. It works with
UPS, FedEx, USPS, or DHL/AirBorne without having to specify
which carrier you need. Instead, it determines the carrier from the tracking number.

http://isnoop.net/tracking/
Details are at http://isnoop.net/blog/?p=19

I have a quick CF implementation of it if anybody is interested.

It is interesting Boyan. But I will continue work on my own. Nothing wrong with multiple solutions to a problem. :)

Ray, as you should, he he. I know the feeling of doing things yourself. I would too do but sometimes I don't want to redo things if I don't have to.

I thought I'd share this since it was kind of cool and it took me very little time to implement it in ColdFusion.

Ray the fact that you want to offer a solution for free to a product that I sell and have invested many hours of time and research into mastering the UPS API's, FexEx, DHL... really bothers me. It's like taking money right out of my wallet and for what? Do you need more recognition? You aren't going to make any money off of it so then what's your reason? To help the community? This isn't PHP land dude - the community -> what's that now-a-days? I appreciate the work you've done and I appreciate your BlogCFC and all of the other wonderful things that you've taken part in but to offer a complete shipping solution with UPS, USPS, FedEx, DHL for free when it's a product that I sell - makes me want to grab and shake you until you realize that you are hurting the others in this industry that are trying to SELL products. Of course I can still sell my products but why buy them when they can get yours for free? Open source is great until it negatively affects your profits. I don't expect you to understand.

JD,

What do you think Ray is doing wrong? There are plenty of things out there that are free and compete with products that actually cost money. How many free Word Processor or Spreadsheet apps are out there? How many open source CMS are there? What about free databases? Heck, you get get an entire OS for free. Even with all this great, free software there are still companies like Microsoft, Oracle and SAP around.

If you are selling a product and there are free alternatives--your only choice is to build a better version or offer somethings that the others don't. That's just they way the world works.

It's called greed some would say. I want the money and have already built what he's working on building. He has a cult-like following in the CF world and is certainly going to take sales right out from under me - sure this is America and people can do as they please - I just felt like saying that IMO, it's lame to know that now a direct competitor is not only “Ray Camden” but that he's offering his soon-to-be solution for free.

Who do you think is going to win that contest?

I guess I really don't care that much but when I go to RIAForge and see an open source UPS solution and then see Ray comment on adding all of the other carriers ("just point me at their API's") - when I've spent so much time doing the same thing to bring home the facon (bacon for you pork eaters) - it tends to be a little upsetting. People will do what they do. I just don't understand really why or how people can invest so much time into something just to give it away. Maybe someone is paying Ray's bills to sit and write code to give away but for me there isn't enough time in the day to do that – otherwise I’d share all of my code and would be more than happy to open it all up for grabs (hey, here’s the keys to my car, house and login info to all of my servers in Portland, Seattle and LA too ;)

Bring on the flames, hate mails, or whatever - I opened this can of worms. But don't get me wrong, I love open source projects - Apache projects and Drupal are perfect examples, same with MySQL, PERL and PHP... maybe the fact that these things are "free" has been a major contributor to their successes.

Ray is going to do what he wants but now that I’ve said my piece - he knows that he’s taking food from my family’s mouth (a little guilt trip for ya). It’s not like my shipping solution is my only bread maker so let’s see what you come up with (maybe I will even contribute since it’s open source). There is a crap load of documentation to pour through to build them all.

Ciao
-JD

"I just don't understand really why or how people can invest so much time into something just to give it away."

Yeah, Ray is an un-American terrorist. Let's all hope Bush finally outlaws open source once and for all and goes to war with all the countries that continue to support this direct attack on the freedom of Americans to make more money than everyone else on the planet put together.

I had a feeling there was something "different" about Ray.

JD, make sure you go *itch out community mx too. They have a UPS cfc, docs and all for $2! Maybe Ray should sell his for $2.00 + so as not to start a price war.

http://www.communitymx.com/...

And don't forget Pablo at easycfm.com... There's an easy UPS tutorial posted on his site.

http://tutorial205.easycfm....

Yours doesn't seem to come up good in google. Page 2 at best. You might want to focus on your google rankings to help increase sales.

So would you feel better if Ray was charging for it? You would, according to you, still be losing money due to his "cult following"

Even if you had other products that you sold and I was interested in them, I would go elsewhere. You are a grown-up, quit your whining.

Wouldn't it be ironic if it was actually your posted comment that damages your business more than Ray's free code. You might have just blacklisted yourself.

JD - For what its worth, I recently started a project for a friend who runs a shipping store. One thing he wanted on his web site was to be able to track packages from the couriers he uses for his store (UPS, USPS, DHL and FedEx). I spent sometime looking into any pre-built package that would allow me to track packages from these couriers without having to create my own home-grown solution. In that research, I did not come across a product that matches what you say you invested many hours of time and research' in.

As someone pointed out already, maybe you should invest many hours of time and research into increasing your google ranking.

Do what everyone else does and build something unique around it to make your money. I'm quite sure everyone who will be using this utility will be making money one way or another. People share these sorts of things for the greater good of the community, indeed, because it allows us all to get down to the business of creating things that don't already exist instead of wasting time reinventing the wheel. This is not a unique idea or utility, and if you've hinged your family's entire future on it then you have been really remiss in your planning. It's like creating a shopping cart or a credit card auth util. If you endeavor to make your money off other programmers, you are bound to run into this a lot.

I'm so confused. FREE is now bad?
Good God what's next FREE EMAIL :)

Personally I've seen plenty of free products, where you get what you pay for. If there is a free solution which isn't that good, and one that can be purchased that does a lot more of what I'm looking for, I've gone with purchased solution.

Unfortunately Ray makes great apps, and maintains them, so that will clearly not be the case here.

Imagine if Ray were to release some sort of shopping cart too. Holy crap I would be soooooooo MAD!!! especially if it had some sort of user login and tracking functionality with a robust options manager and an easy install path. OMG!!! what if it had muliple product views and a suggest a product feature. Oh jeeez. Dont you dare think of screwing us over like that Ray!!!

Just because I live on a heavily fortified compound with Ray bearing his love children does NOT mean I am part of some Ray cult. I am really offended by such an insinuation!

"I appreciate your BlogCFC and all of the other wonderful things that you've taken part in but to offer a complete shipping solution with UPS, USPS, FedEx, DHL for free when it's a product that I sell - makes me want to grab and shake you [...]"

So let me get this straight... It is ok for Ray to make free stuff so long as YOU benefit from it and so long as it isn't something YOU are working on?

Hmm.

Considering the potential for exposure to such a grandiose "cult following", one would think young JD would take this opportunity to actually link us to his stuff and maybe even point out some reasons it is well worth the money he is charging. For one thing, it's supposedly ready and waiting. For another, it is just shy of Christmas and who knows who might be needing to implement just such a solution ASAFP.

I have my doubts as to whether this person really has a gripe here, or if he is just trying to stir ye olde pot.

This is what happens when you take LOST off the air for three months!!!

Right now custom ColdFusion application developers all over the world, who have pay products, are all wishing Ray's Mini Cooper breaks apart in mid-air and the tail section lands on one part of the Island, while the nose lands on another part of the island.

If that island turns out to be Long Island, New York...

Stop by we'll have drinks :)

My "cult" comment proves to be true - listen to you guys. You are a riot. These are some entertaining comments to say the least. Keep bitching if you feel like it - I'm getting the emails and obviously some of you need to vent.

JD - what's with the anonymity?

I am interested in your tracking program, yet cannot seem to find anything about it, would you mind posting the link, or sending it to me off line scott [at] boyzoid [dot] com?

You didn't even put up any contact info, ya dillhole. The comments are responses to your idiocy. Wouldn't have mattered where you posted it. Grow up.

Why would he send it to you? You haven't paid him. Indeed, you are starving his children!@#~x

How's he getting emails if he hasn't posted an e-mail address?

What's next? Want to try and insult me in some additional ways? You happen to be in Seattle? I can meet you some place stabellina

Everyone - lets please remain calm. JD made his argument. Counter arguments were made. Now it is getting personal. I do not want anyone attacking anyone (even if they are defending me). Lets please keep things strictly business like. If not, I will close the comments to this entry. Thanks.

You guys clearly don't understand what I was saying so STFU. Any of you that think I'm an idiot, great for you. You clearly are clueless. Why the anonymity - to avoid oooh such scary people like you. Please...

I am entitled to my opinion for Ray Camden and all of you little followers can be mad about my comment if you want to.

Like I said about 20 comments ago, I don't care what he does with UPS or his shipping – I just felt like sharing my comments with him because I know he cares dearly about what we think.

See how easy your little cult goes on the rampage?
Don't choke on that arsenic laced burnt biscuit with your purple scarf so tight.

Go get some coffee or something.

JD - As I stated earlier, I am working on a site for a friend and I need to have the ability to track packages from several couriers. if you have something that can make this easier for me, I am interested (whether you view me as a member of the cult or not). I was unable to find anything like you described. It would be a big help to me if you could/could post information about your product.

Thanx.

Forget it, Scott. He obviously doesn't have anything. He just wanted some attention, and he's got it. Apparently, it's not the kind he wanted. ;)

> I don't care what he does with UPS or his shipping.
> I just felt like sharing my comments with him because
> I know he cares dearly about what we think.

Sure you care. That's why you whined and cried that Ray's free solution was more popular than yours. I don't think saying that you would like to just grab and shake someone constitutes as constructive criticism or even friendly banter... especially when it follows your little bleeding heart rants about how empty your wallet is. You can solve that little problem by selling something worth BUYING.

Hell, I think I'll go write a free one now.

If I realized all of you Ray worshipers would flame me more than 20 times for giving my opinion, I would have just sent him an email myself.

Ray, it’s awesome to see that you have such a great lynch mob ready to go at the drop of a dime. If I ever have the need for a group of people with a lot of time on their hands to dish out insults, I will be sure and double post.

That was fun. Thanks for the morning of entertainment.
-JD

JD - Is this what you are referring to?

http://www.cftagstore.com/t...

It would appear that this $45.00 product only retrieves estimated shipping costs and not tracking information. Seems like Ray not only has you beat with price, but with functionality as well.

JD - Is this what you are referring to?

http://www.cftagstore.com/t...

It would appear that this $45.00 product only retrieves estimated shipping costs and not tracking information. Seems like Ray not only has you beat with price, but with functionality as well.

My product does not yet do shipping costs. It just gets tracking info and address verification. Shipping costs is coming in the next revision (which will probably NOT be out by XMas).

Sorry, my bad.

I knew it did more than one thing and, I will admit, foolishly, assumed it was shipping costs.

As a complete aside, my Capcha for this is 'moo'

Joe,

Yes, Ray has MANY people who completely respect and appreciate everything he does. Those same people also know that he is too nice of a guy to get into a flame war with the likes of you on his own blog.

We weren't all completely out to annihilate you, we just wanted to make sure that you knew that what you were saying was just the dumbest thing we had heard in a while (since ayRay ornHay probably). We are just looking out for you my friend. We just couldn't sit by and watch you make a complete ass out of yourself and then try to sell us stuff later. Consider it a virtual "grab and shake" if you will.

Oh and Scott Stroz, we perfectly understand that your 'double post' was accidental and forgive you completely for it ;-)

Guess what Will's Mommy... I too am one of those people who respect the Jedi and his work (although maybe my comments in my original post about shaking him didn’t come across that way). You think I'm new to the CF world? 10 years and still going dude – I know who Ray Camden is. I had an opinion and I said it and you can think my opinion is the stupidest thing you’ve heard since whatever. Ray has done great things, no doubt. And all of you that want to think whatever it is that you think because I said something you disagree with – great freedom of speech and opinion!!! That’s what makes this so much fun.

Enough already – go get some tea or some work done.

I don't recall SAYING you were new to anything... Although, I may have IMPLIED that you were new to thinking... take your own advice pal. Give it a rest.

Man will you guys give it up already? If someone wants to pay for software, let them. If someone wants to use Ray's solution, let them. BFD! Lets get back to our jobs k?

You know, I got a link to this post so I could have a "laugh"... sadly; the opposite happenned.

Everyone who knows me; knows that I am a lot like Ray. We are the kind of people that just want to help others learn and better themselves, period. The idea behind a lot of what we do is not for "recognition" or "whatever else you want to call it".. its simply to help those around us that want to better themselves.

I think Ray's idea is good; and JD competition tends to bring business.. not take away from it. When I originally launched CFM-Resources.Com; being the first to give away free CF hosting was considered "blasphemy" and "just plain wrong".. I too got hundreds of emails from hosts blasting me... telling me to stop because it took money from their pockets, you know what happenned? The opposite... more people from other programming languages began using CF because now they had a play area to learn it in and they found that they liked the language; so natually they needed hosting (some satyed with me and some went elsewhere... that was the general idea)...

With more people comes more business for everyone. Yes; even those hosts that hated me... now promote EasyCFM and are working to help me to launch FreeColdFusionHosting.Com... why? Because in the end; if your product is good... who is out there competing with you doesn't matter.

Ray, keep it up... would love to see what comes out of the product... BlogCFC rocks and I am sure this new product will too!

Folks, I don't think anything constructive can come of this anymore. I'm closing down the comments. This is NOT because of JD's original comment, which I do not agree with obviously. I DO want folks to feel free to disagree with me. I DO want folks to let me know when they feel I have crossed the line. I am NOT perfect. Not as a CF Jedi nor as a man. I just feel that at this point the conversation is just getting a bit too flamey.

So - I'm cutting it off. I may post a response to this later in the week.