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I keep seeing a common theme in the ColdFusion community, illustrated by two recent blog entries. The theory is that you need to use the popular CF frameworks in order to be an advanced CF programmer. I want to further explore this concept.I do think that the frameworks provide some valuable tools for the community, and it’s not wise for one to throw them all out as rubbish. However, I’ve never gotten into the habit of using them, even though I have been trying to learn Model Glue. But I think it’s possible to be an Advanced ColdFusion programmer without using frameworks. Here are some scenarios I’d like you to consider.Jack is an expert l18n programmer in ColdFusion, and he also uses XML and web services. He’s a ColdFusion security guru, has written many articles on the subject, and has spoken at numerous conferences and user groups. He is always consistent with his coding style, and he documents his code.Julie is a Computer Science major. She follows her OOP background by using CFCs, and adheres to a structured coding style. She understands and uses database normalization, and is pretty good with Oracle administration. Later she reads a book about design patterns, takes a look at her code, and discovers she is pretty close to following MVC, but it’s coincidental.Matt creates strong ties to Java from his ColdFusion code. He knows and uses Regular Expressions. He’s an expert Verity programmer, and likes to follow SEO principles. Matt also documents his code, and uses a source code versioning system. He’s also an Advanced Certified ColdFusion Developer.Neither Jack, Julie nor Matt use ColdFusion frameworks, but I believe all three might be considered Advanced ColdFusion programmers. However, all three could be prone to adapting frameworks at some point in their career.Again, I believe that frameworks fill a gap in this community, and I do hope to learn and use them some day. But I don’t think that frameworks are the best answer for all problems, and while I could be wrong, I also don’t believe one needs to use frameworks to be considered an expert. On the other side of the token, I think it’s possible that one could learn and use a framework, but still be a novice ColdFusion programmer.