Dear Readers,
Drupal might have a perception problem, notes John Picozzi in his latest blog post about the challenges Drupal faces despite its advancements. With Drupal 7 officially retiring and Drupal CMS v1 launching, Drupal has had significant changes in the beginning of the year itself.
"Although his learning curve became a meme, his approach imposed on you a working methodology that, at the time (2011!!), made you feel like Neo from the Matrix with a module and a couple of hooks placed well. And then that hierarchy of templates that allowed you to touch every point of the output: wonder."
shares Lorenzo Luci, a Drupal Specialist, about the official Drupal 7 end of life.
Drupal is a powerful open-source content management framework with a vibrant community and a strong commitment to the Digital Public Good philosophy. Despite its advancements in performance, usability, and scalability with versions 8, 9, and 10, Drupal continues to struggle with outdated perceptions that label it as an "old" and developer-focused CMS.
“The fact that Drupal is considered an ‘old’ CMS by some is laughable. Anyone with an informed and current point of view knows that Drupal is one of the more modern content frameworks on the market.”
notes John.
Negative experiences with poorly implemented older versions and misconceptions about open-source security contribute to this perception issue. However, Drupal’s robust security measures, continuous improvements, and commitment to transparency make it one of the most modern and secure platforms available. Addressing these misunderstandings requires educating stakeholders about Drupal's capabilities, such as its multi-site strengths, API-first approach, and seamless upgrade paths that eliminate the need for full rebuilds.
To combat Drupal's perception challenges, it's crucial to highlight its modern advancements, community-driven initiatives, and evolving ease of use. The introduction of tools like Experience Builder and Project Browser simplifies site-building and content management, addressing concerns about Drupal's learning curve. The Promote Drupal initiative and the newly formed Drupal marketing team are working to reshape its image, emphasizing strengths in scalability, structured content delivery, and third-party integrations. Drupal's open-source nature fosters innovation and collaboration, while the ongoing transformation of Drupal.org provides a more engaging, accessible platform to attract new users. By leveraging webinars, case studies, and community advocacy, Drupal can continue to dispel outdated notions and position itself as a powerful, future-ready CMS.
Here are the important stories from the past week.
Interviews
Discover Drupal
Events
- DrupalCon Singapore 2024 Recap
- MidCamp 2025: Tech Conference Focused on Learning, Networking, and Growth
- Keynote Speakers Announced for Drupal Mountain Camp 2025 in Davos
- EU Open Source Policy Summit 2025 to Define Europe’s Digital Future
- Lullabot Webinar: Enhancing Drupal CMS with Olivero Theme Extensions
- Events of the Week: January 27 - February 02, 2025
Organization News
- Concord Debuts Multi-CMS Compliance Solution, Including New Drupal Module
- DDEV v1.24.2 Brings MySQL 8.4 and Key Updates
- RVO Cuts Costs by €10,000 Annually with Drupal and Webforms Module
- Bounteous and Accolite Rebrand Under Unified Bounteous Name
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. You can also join us on Drupal Slack at #thedroptimes.
Thank you,
Sincerely
Alka Elizabeth
Sub-editor, The DropTimes.