The Drop Times: Technology and People Make Drupal Happen: Fran Garcia

Join Fran Garcia, Senior Drupal Developer at the Drupal Association, as he unveils the driving forces behind Drupal's evolution. Fran shares exclusive insights with Kazima Abbas, Sub Editor at The DropTimes (TDT), exploring strategic projects, global hiring initiatives, and the transformative impact of GitLab CI on Drupal's development process. Discover the symbiotic relationship between Fran's role, the Drupal community, and his unique journey from teaching to web development.

LN Webworks: Voice Search Optimization & Set Up for Drupal: A Step-by-Step Setup Guide!

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Drupal voice search has evolved from being a mere trend to becoming a standard feature for websites today. If you find yourself wondering, 'How do I enable search based on voice recognition on my Drupal website?' — you're in the right place. 

Integrating voice search functionality into your Drupal site is not only modern but also enhances user experience and is extremely important for SEO ranking. In this blog post, we'll walk you through the steps to set up search based on voice recognition, making your Drupal site more accessible and user-friendly. But before we dive into the steps, let’s understand…

Specbee: (Not Just Any) Drupal VS WordPress Blogpost - Your Top 5 FAQs Answered

Everyone loves a good showdown. Drupal VS WordPress debate has been a hot topic for ages. Businesses want to make informed judgments, and articles like these can play a crucial role in the decision game. While comparing market share and numbers might seem interesting at first glance, beyond the stats, it’s about finding the right CMS that perfectly fits your needs. We're a downright Drupal-centric company. We're all in on Drupal – it's in our DNA. Now that you've got the picture, it’s important to emphasize that we won't engage in a one-sided battle between Drupal and WordPress. The focus is on providing insightful comparisons and that can help you find the right solution for your specific needs. So dive into this article where we're tackling the most popular questions about Drupal VS WordPress, sourced straight from Google and beyond.   Question #1: What's the community support like for Drupal and WordPress? Before answering this question, let’s talk about why community support is important. One of the most common and significant reasons why organizations choose an open-source Content Management System (CMS) is having lean-back support from a strong community. This assures them that their code is in safe hands even if they have to change vendors. After all, open-source code is built by everyone, for everyone. Both WordPress and Drupal boast of a global community of open-source enthusiasts. Due to its sheer popularity and widespread usage, the WordPress community is vast and you can find a solution to almost every query. WordCamps are low-key, local events held all over the world and are attended by WordPress users and developers. State of the Word events are annual events where the co-founders discuss the platform's current state and future direction. Fun fact: the first WordPress community summit took place in the year 2012 at Tybee Island, Georgia. While Drupal’s community is comparatively smaller, although growing every day, it is renowned for its depth of technical expertise and knowledge. This makes it a great resource for complex projects.  DrupalCamps are local community events where developers and users come together to learn and network. DrupalCons are held annually both in the United States and Europe where thousands of Drupal enthusiasts come together to network, learn, contribute, and get inspired. Dries Buytaert, founder of Drupal, presents his keynote speech every year where he discusses the state of Drupal and talks about innovation and new initiatives for the future. Fun fact: the first-ever Drupal community event (DrupalCon) was held in Antwerp, Belgium in the year 2005. No matter how expansive or niche a community is, the crucial question remains: Which community dynamics align better with your goals? Question #2: Is Drupal easier to learn or WordPress? The easy (and blunt) answer to this question is WordPress. WordPress’s intuitive and friendly user interface makes it accessible to beginners. Because of its vast community, and access to tons of online documentation and tutorials, learning WordPress is not hard.  But if you’re looking for a more meaningful explanation, it starts with a question - What are you trying to accomplish with your CMS?   If you want to set up a website and want it to go live before EOD today, WordPress makes it easy. If you want to learn to set up a straightforward personal blog or portfolio site, WordPress is for you. If you’re a small to medium-sized business or e-Commerce store, looking to establish an online presence without help from external agencies, WordPress could work for you.BUT If you're a web developer buff, with Drupal, you'll enjoy learning new skills, and you won't be intimidated by the challenge level. If you like customizing existing modules or building custom modules, Drupal gives you a ton of flexibility with that. If you’re looking at building enterprise-level, complex applications for you or your clients, Drupal offers everything you need. Drupal is notorious for its steep learning curve. Having said that, over the years, there has been a tremendous shift on that front especially since the launch of Drupal 8 in 2015. The evolution of Drupal has seen a departure from traditional Drupal-ly aspects to embrace modern trends like object-oriented programming and standardized frameworks like Symfony. This shift has attracted developers with diverse skills into the community. Initiatives such as the Project Browser are making it easier for site admins to discover and apply modules, creating a marketplace-like experience. Add to that, initiatives like Easy out of the box, Automatic updates, Recipes, starterkits, and distributions are contributing heavily to making Drupal more beginner-friendly. On a side note, this brilliant article written by Kathy Sierra is worth a read if you’re starting your career or looking to become an expert in your field. This "How to be an expert" graph below resonates with the idea that persistent learning and improvement make mastering Drupal easier, even with its initial complexity. Question #3: Which is easier to customize, Drupal or WordPress? While this again depends on the level of customization you are looking for, let me try to keep it simple. WordPress’s extensive theme and plugin ecosystem allows for straightforward modifications without deep coding knowledge. It offers a vast array of themes, both free and premium, allowing users to change the look and feel of their site instantly. Many WordPress themes come with integrated page builders or support popular ones. These drag-and-drop interfaces enable users to create complex layouts without any coding, enhancing the customization experience. When it comes to deep customizations, Drupal is the clear winner. Its modular architecture allows for precise customization where modules can be added, removed, or modified to extend functionality. The level of control and specificity you have with customizing themes is unparalleled with Drupal. The Twig theming engine allows for a flexible and secure way to customize the presentation layer of your website. You can leverage the Drupal Views module (core module) to customize the way your data is presented using custom queries. The ability to create custom content types and fields enables websites with complex content requirements (educational institutions, media, and publishing houses) to create highly structured data. Clearly, this level of customization comes with a learning curve, which brings us back to the question mentioned before - What do you want to accomplish with your CMS? :) However, this does not mean that WordPress cannot be used to build customizable websites or that Drupal cannot be used to build simple websites. It’s just that each platform has its strengths and sweet spots. WordPress excels in simplicity, quick deployment, and a massive ecosystem of plugins for common features. Drupal's power lies in its flexibility, scalability, and ability to handle complex projects with a high degree of customization.  Question # 4: Are there notable performance differences between Drupal and WordPress? This is where Drupal truly excels, hands down! Clearly, speed and performance are Drupal's key differentiating factors. While WordPress can also be used for complex websites whilst maintaining performance, it does require a lot of optimization expertise. If a WordPress website uses too many or poorly coded plugins, it can slow down performance and speed. Its inability to provide granular access control can also limit performance. Drupal, on the other hand, offers high performance right out of the box: Advanced Caching Mechanism - The built-in caching mechanism is simply brilliant. Drupal doesn't just cache pages; it goes the extra mile by caching dynamic views at both the query and output levels. This meticulous approach can be further optimized and ensures optimal performance. Version Upgrades - With every version upgrade released by Drupal, you don’t just get better features, you get improved performance out of the box. Because of its dependencies like PHP and Symfony, Drupal needs to stay updated to make sure it stays compatible with the best version of the dependencies. A recent study by Kinsta shows that a Drupal 10 website using the latest PHP 8.3 version “gives you an extreme speed boost”. Optimized Database Queries - Drupal's database queries are well-optimized, contributing to efficient data retrieval. This means quicker response times when fetching content from the database. Lazy Loading - Drupal supports lazy loading for images and other assets. Resources are loaded only when needed, enhancing the initial page load speed. BigPipe technology -  Drupal’s BigPipe technology optimizes performance by introducing dynamic page-loading mechanisms for authenticated and anonymous users. Instead of waiting for the entire page to be fully rendered, it prioritizes and delivers the main content first. It also utilizes parallel processing, allowing different components of a page to load concurrently. As of Jan 16, 2024, the usage statistics of Drupal show that although used by fewer websites compared to WordPress, when it comes to being used by high-traffic websites, Drupal tops the list. uestion #5: How do the security features compare between Drupal and WordPress? Whenever we have discussed security, we always make it a point to clarify that security is not just a one-time task but an ongoing process. But yes, choosing the right CMS does make a huge difference in safeguarding your data. While both Drupal and WordPress are dedicated to security, Drupal is known for its excellence in this area. While WordPress core is secure, with thousands of third-party plugins and themes freely available, it is more susceptible to hacker attacks. It requires careful selection and maintenance to ensure a secure environment. Security vulnerabilities may arise from poorly coded or outdated plugins. According to a 2022 Website Threat Research Report by Sucuri, WordPress accounts for 96.2% of infections while Drupal was at 0.6%. Of course, you cannot deny the popularity of WordPress when a comparison analysis of this sort is carried out. Drupal has a robust defense against critical internet vulnerabilities, boasting a proven 15+ year track record of its Security Team successfully identifying and addressing potential threats. The platform's stringent coding standards and rigorous community code review process contribute significantly to preventing security issues altogether. Drupal offers many security modules and when implemented with the right strategy, you can have a highly secure website. Granular access control is a strength of Drupal. Site administrators can define specific roles and permissions, ensuring that users have the appropriate level of access. It is also important to keep your Drupal website updated with the latest release to mitigate any security vulnerabilities. The Automatic Updates module (coming soon to core) makes updating your website easier with features like auto patch-level updates, problem detection and reporting at every stage, error detection API, and more. Final Thoughts It is rather easy for us to give our verdict - Drupal is the best 🙂 But jokes apart, it is up to you to decide which platform best fits your needs and budget. Both Drupal and WordPress offer great features and can be powerful tools for web development. If you’re still confused if Drupal is the right CMS for you or not, we can help. Simply fill out the form and tell us your requirements. You'll hear from us with the best-fit solution. We'll never push a CMS on you if it doesn't meet your specific needs. You can also call us at +1-678-806-8004. 

Talking Drupal: Talking Drupal #434 - Talking Drupal

Today we are talking about te show itself. We’ll also cover Autosave Form as our module of the week.

For show notes visit: www.talkingDrupal.com/434

Topics
  • Update on the show
    • Guest hosts
    • MOTW Correspondent
    • Newsletter
  • Sponsorship
  • Open Collective
  • Content
  • New content in 2024
  • Expanding team
Resources Hosts

Nic Laflin - nLighteneddevelopment.com nicxvan John Picozzi - epam.com johnpicozzi Stephen Cross - stephencross.com stephencross

MOTW Correspondent

Martin Anderson-Clutz - mandclu

  • Brief description:
    • Have you ever wanted an autosave feature on your Drupal site’s forms, so content creators won’t lose their work if they accidentally close the window or lose power? There’s a module for that.
  • Module name/project name:
  • Brief history
    • How old: created in Nov 2016 by Hristo Chonov of 1x Internet, who is also one of the organizers of Drupal Dev Days 2024 in Burgas
    • Versions available: 8.x-1.4 which works with Drupal 9 and 10
  • Maintainership
    • Actively maintained, most recent comment less than 3 months ago
    • Test coverage
    • 38 open issues, 20 of which are bugs
  • Usage stats:
    • 6,414 sites
  • Module features and usage
    • Works by automatically saving the content of the current form every 60 seconds, though the time period is configurable
    • When a user opens a form, if an autosaved state exists for that form a dialog will be shown asking if they want to resume editing or discard any autosaved states
    • Once a form is submitted, any saved states will be automatically deleted
    • Notionally it should work with both content entity forms and config forms, but the majority of development and testing has been with entity forms in mind
    • The project page also mentions an issue with nested entity reference inline forms, and has links to relevant Drupal core issues
    • Worth noting that this module uses AJAX to save the states to the Drupal database, separate from entity revisions
    • If you want a solution that save form states into the browser’s localStorage instead, you can check out the Save Form State module, using the jQuery Sisyphus plugin

Drupal.org blog: Drupal Innovation in 2024: the Contribution Health Dashboards

2023 has been an eventful year, full of ideas, discussions and plans regarding innovation, where Drupal is heading, and, in our case, how the Drupal Association can best support. On top of that, you may have already heard, but innovation is a key goal for the Drupal Association.

Drupal is nothing but a big, decentralized, community. And before we can even think of how we can innovate, we need to understand how contribution actually happens and evolves in our ecosystem. And one of the things we agreed early on was that, without numbers, we don’t even know where we are going. 

For that reason in 2024 we want to introduce you to part of the work we’ve been doing during the last part of 2023 to make sure that we know where we are coming from, we understand where we are going and how the changes we are doing are affecting (or not) the whole contribution ecosystem. I want to introduce you to the Contribution Health Dashboards (CHD).

The CH dashboards should help identify what stops or blocks people from contributing, uncover any friction, and if any problems are found, help to investigate and apply adequate remedies while we can as well measure those changes.

One thing to note is that the numbers we are showing next are based on the contribution credit system. The credit system has been very successful in standardizing and measuring contributions to Drupal.  It also provides incentives to contribute to Drupal, and has raised interest from individuals and organizations.

Using the credit system to evaluate the contribution is not 100% perfect, and it could show some flaws and imperfections, but we are committed to review and improve those indicators regularly, and we think it’s the most accurate way to measure the way contribution happens in Drupal.

It must be noted as well that the data is hidden, deep, in the Drupal.org database. Extracting that data has proved a tedious task, and there are numbers and statistics that we would love to extract in the near future to validate further the steps we are taking. Again, future reviews of the work will happen during the next months while we continue helping contributors to continue innovating.

You can find the dashboards here, in the Contribution Health Dashboards, but keep reading next to understand the numbers better.

Unique individuals and organisations

Jumping to what matters here, the numbers, one of the most important metrics to understand in the Drupal ecosystem is the number of contributions of both individuals and organisations.

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As you can see, the number of individuals has stayed relatively stable, while their contribution has been more and more significant over the years (except for a slide in the first year of the pandemic). In a way this is telling us that once a user becomes a contributor, they stay for the long run. And, in my opinion, the numbers say that they stay actually very committed.

The number of organisations on the other hand displays a growing healthy trend. This shows that organisations are an important partner for Drupal and the Drupal Association, bringing a lot of value in the form of (but not just) contributors.

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It definitely means that we need to continue supporting and listening to them. It’s actually a symbiotic relationship. These companies support and help moving forward, not just Drupal, but the whole concept of the Open Web. And their involvement doesn’t end up there, as their daily role in expanding the reach, the number of instances and customers of every size using Drupal is as well key.

In practical terms in 2023 we have been meeting different companies and organisations, and the plan is to continue listening and finding new ways to help their needs in 2024 and beyond. One of the things we are releasing soon is the list of priorities and strategic initiatives where your contributions, as individuals as well as organisations, are most meaningful. This is something I have been consistently asked for when meeting with those individuals and organisations, and I think it’s going to make a big difference unleashing innovation in Drupal. I recommend you to have a look at the blog post about the bounty program.

First year contributors

The next value we should be tracking is how first time users are interacting with our ecosystem.

While the previous numbers are encouraging, we have a healthy ecosystem of companies and a crowd of loyal individuals contributing to the project, making sure that we onboard and we make it easier and attractive for new generations to contribute to the project is the only possible way to ensure that this continues to be the case for many years to come.

That’s why we are looking at first time contributions, or said differently, how many users make a first contribution in their first 12 months from joining the project. During 2024 I would like to look deeper into this data, reveal contribution data further on time, like after 24 and 36 months. For now this will be a good lighthouse that we can use to improve the contribution process.

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Although last year's numbers give us a nice feeling of success, we want to be cautious about them, and try to make sure that the trend of previous years of a slight decline does not continue.

That is the reason why my first priority during the first months of 2024 is to review the registration process and the next step for new users on their contribution journey. From the form they are presented, to the documentation we are facilitating, to the messages we are sending them in the weeks and months after.

The changes we make should be guided as well by the next important graph, which is the Time To First Contribution. In other words, the amount of time a new user has taken to make their first contribution to Drupal.

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You’ll see that the Contribution Health Dashboards includes other data that I have not mentioned in this post. It does not mean that it is not equally important, but given the Drupal Association has a finite amount of resources, we consider that this is the data that we need to track closely to get a grasp of the health of our contribution system.

For now, have a look at the Contribution Health Dashboards to get a grasp of the rest of the information that we have collected. If you are curious about the numbers and maybe would like to give us a hand, please do not hesitate to send me a message at alex.moreno@association.drupal.org

The Drop Times: The DropTimes Carousels and Exciting Events

Have you ever wondered what a media partnership means to us? Simply put, it's like teaming up with some of the most remarkable events to bring their incredible stories directly to the readers through multiple channels, including our social media handles. We are humbled to acknowledge that The DropTimes (TDT) got the opportunity to be a media partner for several upcoming events, such as Florida Drupal Camp, Drupal Mountain Camp, and NERD Summit. We're already in friendly talks with events happening in 2024 for web coverage! We're planning to bring you even more fantastic stories.

Now, let's take a trip down memory lane with captivating carousels. Think of them like visual stories capturing the most exciting moments from events. It's our way of sharing each event's fun, happiness, and success. These carousels are like time machines, taking you back to the best parts of our media partnerships and the lively Drupal community.

The first features highlights from last year's events, including DrupalCon Pittsburgh and DrupalCon Lille 2023. Plus, get an exclusive sneak peek into what's coming up at DrupalCon Portland 2024 and DrupalCon Barcelona 2024.  

But that's not all! Brace yourselves for a visual feast as we proudly present a collection of the best moments from Splash Awards (Germany and Austria), Drupal Developers Day Vienna, and DrupalCamp Costa Rica in 2023.

Moreover, we've compiled The Drop Times 2023 Carousel, a journey back to revisit the year's most noteworthy moments and achievements.

A big shout-out to the fantastic Drupal community for all the support in 2023. Your love and encouragement mean the world to us!

These moments are just the beginning. We're eager to build more partnerships in the future and share even more exciting stories with you. Now, let's shift our focus to the present. Explore some of the latest news stories and articles we covered last week. We've got a mix of engaging content waiting for you.

Elma John conducted a captivating interview with Nneka Hector, the Director of Web Development at DSFederal and a co-lead for Drupal GovCon. Nneka reflected on the community's eagerness for in-person interaction and valuable lessons learned.

Lukas Fischer, Founder of NETNODE AG and one of the developers behind the Content Planner module, shared a customised Dashboard for Drupal websites. Covered by Alka Elizabeth, the latest enhancements promise to make your Drupal experience even more delightful and user-friendly.  

The Event Organizers Working Group (EOWG) election has wrapped up, and we're eagerly awaiting the results. Alka Elizabeth shared insights into the candidates' unique contributions. Stay tuned for the big reveal!

Meet Drupal Droid, a specially crafted AI model designed exclusively for the Drupal Community. Offering assistance with Drupal 9+ site building, development, and coding standards, this innovative tool was introduced by Michael Miles. Alka Elizabeth, sub-editor of The Drop Times, connected with Michael to glean insights into the creation and potential of Drupal Droid.

Now, let's explore what's been happening on the event front: Get a chance to showcase your talent and win a ticket to DrupalCon by submitting your design for the official DrupalCon Portland t-shirt. Enter before February 12! Volunteer as a Trivia Night Coordinator and embrace the opportunity to contribute to the organization of the iconic DrupalCon Trivia Night at Portland 2024. 

Drupal Mountain Camp is leading the charge for diversity and inclusion in the Drupal community with a new initiative. They actively encourage underrepresented voices to participate, promoting a more diverse and enriched community. For more information, click here. 

Explore exclusive sponsorship opportunities for NERD Summit 2024, a prominent mini-conference in web development and technology. Today is the last day for the NERD Summit 2024 for session submission. Make sure to propose your sessions or ideas before midnight. Get more details here. 

Discover the upcoming Drupal Iberia 2024 event, set to convene in Evora on May 10th and 11th. 

The largest Drupal Conference in Poland, DrupalCamp Poland 2024, calls for session submissions until April 16, 2024. 

Secure your spot at Drupalcamp Rennes 2024! Ticket reservations are now available for the three-day event featuring insightful conferences and contribution opportunities.

Join the Drupal Delhi Meetup Group as they bring back the joy of in-person gatherings on February 24, 2024. Get more information here. 

Missed LocalGov Drupal Week 2023? Don't worry! Dive into the virtual experience on their YouTube channel. Explore 14 sessions over five days, where 530+ participants shared experiences, best practices, and innovative code. 

Join the GitLab Innovation Pitch Competition to showcase your software innovation skills. Compete for a $30,000 prize pool and the opportunity to collaborate with GitLab, focusing on DevOps, Machine Learning/AI, and Social Good projects. Deadline: Feb 27, 2024.

Here is a noteworthy update from the past week: Drupal pioneers innovation with its new credit bounty program, encouraging contributors to align with impactful projects and fostering a purpose-driven community for lasting impact.  

There are more stories available out there. But the compulsion to limit the selection of stories is forcing us to put a hard break on further exploration.

As always, stay tuned for more exciting stories and updates. follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

Thank you,

Sincerely
Kazima Abbas
Sub-editor, TheDropTimes

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