Seth Hill on Backdrop CMS and Mercury Editor: BADCamp 2024 Recap

Drupal events are always a trove of companionship. It is the place where you rekindle relationships strained by distance but bound by love for Drupal. It is the place where you meet new people hoping to be supported in their introduction to Drupal, reminding one of their initial days in the community. Seth Hill, a Senior Developer from Aten Design Group recently participated in BADCamp 2024, held on October 24-25 in Oakland, California. In this interview with Alka Elizabeth, a sub-editor with The DropTimes he shares about his camp experience.

"It was nice, big enough that the rooms were full of people but small enough that we could have some private conversations."

Seth began, responding to the first and obvious question.

For over 15 years, BADCamp, or the Bay Area Drupal Camp, has been a staple event for Drupal users, developers, marketers, and content specialists in the region. This year’s event was hosted at Oakstop in Oakland and featured a variety of talks, workshops, and panels that highlighted the latest in Drupal technology, content management strategies, and innovative tools designed to empower the community.

Seth Hill, a prominent voice in the Drupal ecosystem, led two sessions at the camp. He co-hosted the Backdrop CMS Summit with Irina Zaks, which drew participants interested in learning about this Drupal fork that’s gaining traction for its affordability and compatibility with Drupal 7 sites. In this session, Seth and Irina discussed the key similarities and differences between Backdrop CMS and Drupal, the benefits for organizations considering upgrades, and shared real-world examples of successful Backdrop implementations.

Seth's second session featured Aten's Mercury Editor, a drag-and-drop content editing interface that simplifies the publishing process in Drupal. The Mercury Editor session resonated with marketers, editors, and developers, as it demonstrated how the tool can enable teams to create visually engaging content independently. 

In this interview, Seth touches upon the highlights from both of his sessions at BADCamp 2024. If you would like to learn in-depth about Backdrop CMS and Mercury Editor, please read on.

TDT [1]: You co-led the Backdrop CMS Summit with Irina Zaks and also hosted a session on the Mercury Editor. Could you start by sharing your experience with the Backdrop CMS Summit? The session spanned three hours and covered a range of topics, including a decade of developments with Backdrop CMS, its current relevance, and comparisons with Drupal.

Seth Hill: I think it went really well. There were definitely more people who were unfamiliar with Backdrop. A lot of attendees came just to get some background on what Backdrop is and how people are using it. There seemed to be a good representation of people from higher education in the room. I think this is partly because higher ed tends to have some legacy Drupal 7 assets and also because the higher ed summit was scheduled for later that afternoon. People were just moving around and checking things out.

One of the especially interesting parts of the summit was hearing from Nate and Jen Lampton. They shared their experiences, explained why they created Backdrop and discussed the roadmap and philosophy behind it. Hearing it directly from them was really insightful.

TDT [2]: Could you also elaborate on Aten Design Group’s involvement with Backdrop CMS over the past 10 years?

Seth Hill: Yes, we’ve done a lot of work, mostly in higher ed, using Backdrop. We’ve worked with Penn State University on moving some of their sites from Drupal 7 to Backdrop. These were more standard port migrations from D7 to Backdrop. We’ve also collaborated with Stanford on a very complex application with extensive business logic. For that project, we’re still extending and updating features. Migrating to a newer version of Drupal, like 10 or 11, would have been a massive undertaking and wouldn’t provide much business value because we’d still need to port all that logic over. Backdrop has been a great solution there.

More recently, we started working with Bud Werner Memorial Library on a full redesign within Backdrop. It’s not just a simple D7-to-Backdrop port; we’re also applying a more modern design and theme.

Part of the rationale is that if you have a site already in Drupal 7, the migration process to Backdrop can be significantly easier than moving to a modern Drupal version. That’s where much of the efficiency and cost savings come in.

TDT [3]: Many websites remain on Drupal 7 because it’s familiar and comfortable for their teams, even with Drupal 7’s end of life approaching in less than three months. Given the options of migrating to Backdrop CMS, other CMS alternatives, or upgrading to a higher Drupal version, how would you assess this situation from a Drupal perspective?

Seth Hill: Yes, it’s interesting because, even though support is being extended for Drupal itself, that’s not necessarily true for contrib modules. Development isn’t really ongoing for Drupal 7 contrib modules anymore, and new feature development in the D7 space is largely stagnant. There’s a bit more energy in the Backdrop environment to extend D7 features and introduce new ones, like the new layout system that didn’t exist in D7. Meanwhile, the Drupal community is putting significant effort into new features for Drupal 11 and beyond.

TDT [4]: The summit brief mentioned a panel discussion covering three key points: ten years of Backdrop, its roadmap, and its future. What key highlights can we expect from the Backdrop CMS roadmap moving forward?

Seth Hill: One of the main focuses for Backdrop is incorporating popular Drupal 7 contrib modules directly into Backdrop core. This approach aims to streamline the experience for new users by having most needed features available without additional module installations. It parallels Drupal CMS’s focus on lowering barriers for new users, which I think is a powerful approach.

TDT [5]: What are some key similarities and differences between Backdrop CMS and the newer versions of Drupal, given that Backdrop CMS includes features compatible with higher Drupal versions?

Seth Hill: Some similarities include media handling and support for CKEditor 5, both of which modern Drupal also supports. The layout system in Backdrop, though distinct from Drupal, is more intuitive and user-friendly for site builders than what we saw in D7’s panels. This modernizes the admin experience in Backdrop, which is a strong aspect of the platform.

Backdrop also emphasizes reducing the distinction between site builders and backend developers. In Drupal, tasks are often more specialized, while Backdrop integrates these roles more, somewhat like the approach seen in WordPress. Although the codebases differ, Backdrop’s structural model has similarities to WordPress.

TDT [6]: In the panel discussion on Backdrop CMS, its philosophies and priorities were a key focus. What are the main priorities for Backdrop CMS?

Backdrop’s priorities focus on simplicity and accessibility for both site builders and end users. By minimizing the need for contrib modules and providing core features that meet common requirements, Backdrop aims to make the CMS more approachable. Another key priority is to maintain compatibility with older versions, which appeals to organizations that have legacy systems, allowing them to adopt modern features without extensive rework.

The main takeaways I recall from the summit were about making things as easy as possible for site builders, breaking down the barriers between site builders and back-end developers, and including essential functionality directly in Backdrop to streamline the experience.

TDT [7]: How did the audience interact during the Backdrop Summit? Were there any standout questions or notable discussion points?

Seth Hill: Definitely. Many people were intrigued by Backdrop—often something they hadn’t encountered before—and wanted to know about its future. Questions focused on how Backdrop would evolve, and how it might differ from or be similar to platforms like Drupal and WordPress. These were some interesting inquiries.

TDT [8]: Shifting focus from Backdrop, let’s discuss Drupal CMS. With the first version set to release in less than two months and considerable buzz around the Startshot initiative, what are your thoughts on its impact? How do you think it will benefit Drupal in the long run?

Seth Hill: Good question. Like Backdrop, Drupal CMS is working toward a package of the most commonly used features that can be easily installed to provide a quicker start. This initiative could reduce friction for newcomers who might previously abandon Drupal due to setup challenges. Concepts like “recipes” are especially promising, as they’ll simplify custom configurations. I think this shift will open up access to Drupal for a broader audience and make it a stronger option moving forward.

TDT [9]: Aten Design Group sponsored the Backdrop Summit at BADCamp 2024. How do you see the impact of organizations sponsoring regional events like this on the community? Should more organizations get involved?

Seth Hill: Absolutely, and I think it’s fantastic for the community. While financial sponsorships are always helpful, the real benefit is the knowledge exchange, community building, and in-person connections that events like these foster. Sharing experiences and insights is invaluable for community growth, and more organizations sponsoring or participating in local meetups would only strengthen the Drupal ecosystem.

TDT [10]: Could you share how the session on the Mercury Editor went? What were the main topics covered, and what were the key takeaways?

Seth Hill: Sure. The session focused on Aten’s Mercury Editor, our drag-and-drop interface for content editing in Drupal. The room was packed, which was exciting to see, especially since it was scheduled opposite the Drupal Association’s session on new features in Drupal. So, it was definitely a popular session. We conducted a demonstration of what Mercury Editor is, and the problems it aims to solve, and provided a demo of the content administration experience. We showcased it both on an existing site we had built and on a new Drupal installation with minimal setup.

Audience interaction was also a key part of the session. One of the things I really enjoyed about this format at BADCamp was that it was small enough for us to address a range of questions. There were many important questions, particularly around translation. In the Q&A, we discussed how Mercury Editor handles translation, layout paragraphs, and similar topics, which seemed to come up frequently.

TDT [11]: What is the future of Mercury Editor? Where is it headed?

Seth Hill: I think we’re definitely committed to continuing to improve and add features to Mercury Editor. Our real focus is on enhancing the editorial experience for content administrators, and that’s where we’re concentrating our efforts—making content editing within Drupal easier, more intuitive, and reducing the cognitive load on content administrators.

After this call, we’re actually meeting to discuss the roadmap and the features we want to develop. We’re looking at some interface improvements, and one of the key areas we’re working on is expanding the live edit capabilities of Mercury Editor, so users can see changes as they type or when they modify an image—making those actions smoother and more intuitive. We’re also adding support for components like accordions and tabs, which have typically required nested paragraphs to implement. We’re really aiming to streamline that experience for content administrators.

TDT [12]: Apart from both of your sessions, what were the most interesting sessions for you at the BADCamp 2024?

One session that stood out for me was Paul Ivanov’s "Current challenges in free software and open source development" on the challenges of supporting modern open-source projects. He discussed topics like using AI and code generation, and the divide between volunteer and commercial work, and brought up some interesting ethical considerations that I think are very important.

The other session that really stood out to me was the Starshot Summit. I switched between that and the higher ed session in the afternoon. It was particularly interesting because it was very open-ended; rather than a linear presentation of “here’s what’s in Starshot,” it invited more organic discussions. For example, people expressed interest in specific parts of the initiative, which led to more focused conversations. It was great to hear from Kristen Pol, who leads part of the Starshot design system initiative. She showed some of her work and highlighted ongoing developments with AI and other topics. Overall, it was a fascinating session to attend.