Dear Readers,
Governments worldwide are increasingly embracing open-source software (OSS) to enhance their operations' transparency, security, and efficiency. Open source allows anyone to inspect, modify, and improve software, fostering a culture of collaboration and innovation. This shift is transforming the way public sector bodies function, ensuring digital solutions are cost-effective and tailored to the unique needs of each community.
Switzerland's recent mandate for OSS in its public sector is a prime example of this trend. The "Federal Law on the Use of Electronic Means for the Fulfilment of Governmental Tasks" (EMBAG) requires government-developed software to be open source, marking a significant step towards greater transparency and efficiency. However, Switzerland is not alone in this initiative; many countries are adopting similar policies to reduce dependency on costly proprietary software and foster innovation.
One of the notable benefits of open source in government is its potential for increased security and reliability. Continuous scrutiny and improvement by a global community of developers result in robust and adaptable solutions that can quickly respond to changing needs and security threats. Additionally, OSS helps prevent vendor lock-in, allowing governments to choose the best solutions without being tied to specific providers.
A recent study by Veniz Guzman on The DropTimes highlights the growing adoption of the open-source CMS Drupal among government entities of all sizes. Larger governments with complex digital needs are increasingly turning to Drupal for its flexibility and robust features. Interestingly, smaller to mid-sized entities are also recognizing Drupal's benefits, with rising adoption rates among smaller cities and counties.
With that, let's move on to the important stories of last week.
Drupal Starshot has announced the formation of its Advisory Council, a significant step in its efforts to expand the reach and impact of Drupal. This council will provide strategic input and feedback to ensure that the initiative meets the needs of key stakeholders and end users. To learn more about the composition of the Starshot Advisory Council, click here.
In "Using Drupal Migrations to Modify Content Within a Site," Jaymie Strecker demonstrates how to use the Drupal Migrate API for restructuring content within a site. The article provides practical examples and assumes basic knowledge of the Migrate API.
In other news, the Drupal Association has announced HeroDevs as the inaugural partner for the new Drupal 7 Extended Security Support Provider Program. This initiative aims to assist organizations unable to migrate from Drupal 7 by the end-of-life date of January 5, 2025, ensuring their systems remain secure and compliant.
Additionally, Drupal.org has announced that it will end support for Composer 1 on Packages.Drupal.org. This move is part of efforts to prepare its infrastructure for providing automatic updates for Drupal and upgrading Drupal.org itself. New packages and releases will no longer be available for Composer 1 starting August 12, 2024, and full support will be dropped on October 1, 2024.
Doubling the spirit of community, DrupalCon Europe has announced Tomasz Rogalski as the winner of the Merce Drawing Contest. His drawing of Mercè, the celebrated figure of Barcelona's annual festival, will be featured on the official event stickers at DrupalCon Barcelona.
The Women in Drupal award will be presented shortly at DrupalCon Barcelona, an event dedicated to the Drupal community. This award aims to recognize and celebrate the significant contributions made by women within the Drupal ecosystem. To nominate a deserving Drupal artist, attendees can fill out the nomination form provided.
Drupal GovCon 2024 is only a month away, scheduled to happen in August 13 - 15, 2024. It will feature a session titled "What the Heck is ARIA? A Beginner's Guide to ARIA for Accessibility," presented by Kat Shaw, a Lead Engineer and Accessibility Advocate (CPACC) at Lullabot. DrupalCamp Colorado has announced its second Keynote Speaker for this year's event, Matthew Saunders.
The DropTimes has compiled notable Drupal events happening throughout the week of July 15 to July 21. This curated list offers a glimpse into the varied activities taking place within the Drupal community, catering to enthusiasts of all skill levels. Read here.
amazee.io announces the launch of a new cloud region on AWS in Tokyo, Japan, enhancing the company's services in the Asia Pacific region. This expansion provides Japanese customers with reduced latency, improved fault tolerance, and compliance with local data privacy laws.
Roderik Muit and Alexandru Ieremia of drunomics presented the new Custom Elements module at Drupal Developer Days in Burgas, in June 2024. This session, part of an informal "Birds of a Feather" discussion, introduced the latest version of the Custom Elements module, a vital part of drunomics' headless Drupal solutions.
We acknowledge that there are more stories to share. However, due to selection constraints, we must pause further exploration for now.
To get timely updates, follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. Also, join us on Drupal Slack at #thedroptimes.
Thank you,
Sincerely
Alka Elizabeth
Sub-editor, The DropTimes.