News Roundup

The Backdrop CMS Project honors Drupal 7's official End of Life on January 5, 2025, acknowledging its historic impact. Backdrop, a fork of Drupal, invites users to transition for cost-effective, long-term support. The latest release, Backdrop CMS 1.30.0, launches January 15, 2025.

The Event Organizers Working Group marked five years of supporting Drupal events, highlighting milestones like enhanced event pages listing over 1,100 global events since 2020. Key achievements include Drupal Events Platform updates, usability improvements, and fostering a robust organizer network through Slack and monthly meetings. New leadership promises continued growth for Drupal's event community.

Florida DrupalCamp 2025 kicks off February 21 in Orlando with Training Day, offering hands-on sessions for Drupal users of all levels. Expert-led workshops promise practical skills and insights, but space is limited, so early registration is encouraged. The three-day event continues with sessions, networking, and collaboration to foster innovation in the Drupal community.

The Open Source Initiative (OSI) has announced the most popular open-source licenses for 2024, with the MIT License leading at 1.7 million pageviews and 1 million unique visitors. BSD 3-Clause, Apache 2.0, and BSD 2-Clause licenses followed, reflecting their flexibility and broad appeal. OSI plans to enhance license pages in 2025, adding features to better support developers and open-source newcomers.

Budapest will host a Drupal community event on January 15, 2025, celebrating the CMS's v1 launch and marking Drupal 7's end of life. Organized by Peter Pónya and Gábor Hojtsy at Brainsum’s office, the event features discussions, reflections, and a global livestream. It starts at 18:00 CET, offering insights into Drupal's past and future.

Kat Shaw, Lead Engineer at Lullabot and accessibility expert, will present "Understanding 'The Why' in Accessibility" at Florida DrupalCamp 2025 on February 22 from 2:00–2:45 PM. The session will highlight the importance of accessible web design, featuring empathy exercises, assistive technology demos, and insights from disabled users. Florida DrupalCamp 2025, running February 21–23 in Orlando, promises an engaging lineup for the Drupal community.

The Schema.org Blueprints module enables Schema.org-first content modeling in Drupal, enhancing SEO, API development, and data consistency. Its creator, Jacob Rockowitz, has refined the module over two years, integrating it into real-world projects like healthcare websites. Recent updates include starter kits for industries like healthcare and hospitality, aligning with Drupal's Recipe initiative, with a vision for stability and broader adoption in the Drupal community.

The deadline for the DrupalCon Atlanta 2025 T-shirt design contest has been extended to January 10, 2025. Open to the global Drupal community, the contest offers the chance to have your design featured at DrupalCon Atlanta and win a free ticket to DrupalCon Atlanta 2025 or DrupalCon North America 2026. Submit your creative design featuring the DrupalCon Atlanta logo before the deadline for a chance to shine!

The Energy Devroom returns to FOSDEM 2025 on February 2 at the ULB Solbosch Campus in Brussels, showcasing open-source innovations for sustainable energy. With 23 sessions, highlights include talks on smart EV chargers, repurposed battery packs, and renewable energy forecasting. This free event emphasizes open-source collaboration in addressing global energy challenges.

The Drupal community in the Netherlands will celebrate the global launch of Drupal CMS v1 in Utrecht on January 15, 2025. Hosted at Bar Josefien from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM CET, the event is part of DrupalFest and showcases the new user-friendly Drupal CMS. Tickets are €6.20 on Eventbrite, with free ticket codes available.

The Drupal community is hosting engaging events this week, January 6–12, 2025, including workshops, meetups, and planning sessions. Highlights include the MidCamp 2025 Proposal Workshop on January 7, a Spanglish session on the new Drupal CMS with free consulting, and the Pacific Time Virtual Meetup on January 8. Join the MidCamp 2025 Planning session on January 9 to contribute to organizing this major event.

The Drupal community has released an updated 3D-printable cookie cutter model for the current Drupal logo, designed by Klara Binon and announced by Gábor Hojtsy. Available in the bgcode repository, it lets enthusiasts create Drupal-themed cookies at home or via local 3D printing services. Klara also shared a recipe for logo-shaped cookies, adding a sweet and creative touch to Drupal swag.

DrupalCon Atlanta 2025 is set for March 24–27, offering a free main ticket for every five attendees registered under a local Drupal community. Early Bird Registration, with a $100 discount, is open until January 19, 2025. Don’t miss this opportunity to grow skills, celebrate Drupal achievements, and strengthen local connections.

Ravi Shekhar of Drupar.com launches "Nava," a free, responsive Drupal theme compatible with versions 9.x to 11.x. Boasting a Google PageSpeed score of 100 for desktops, Nava features custom CSS, sliders, and Google font support without external dependencies. While offering demos and Dev5 support, the theme is outside Drupal's security advisory policy.

In this article by Jennifer Witkowski and Stephanie Ganzer, we dive into the multi-phase effort to rejuvenate Drupal’s Admin UI. By revisiting long-standing UX challenges, creating a dedicated Figma Design System for Gin, and collaborating closely with the broader Drupal community, the team is crafting a more intuitive and modern interface. This story encapsulates the combined efforts of designers, developers, and strategists in shaping the future of Drupal’s user experience.

The annual flagship event for the Drupal community promises top-tier learning, networking, and growth opportunities. Early registration and discounted hotel rates within the official block are available. International attendees can access visa support, making it easier to join this vibrant event in the heart of Atlanta.

Adelaide Convention Centre will host Everything Open 2025 from January 20-22, uniting over 600 global attendees to explore open source technologies. Sponsorship packages, ranging from premium to tailored options, offer brands unique visibility and networking opportunities. Early sponsors gain added benefits, with details available on the event website.

The Recipe Generator command-line tool now supports Drupal 11 and Drush 13, simplifying recipe creation for modern Drupal sites. Key contributions by Omar Mohamad - El Hassan Lopesino and Jim Birch showcase the collaborative spirit of the community. Full details are available on the official release page.

DrupalCamp Finland 2025, set for April 25 at Dipoli in Espoo, invites session proposals covering Drupal, cloud computing, and more by February 28. The event features a morning track and three afternoon tracks, expecting over 100 attendees from Finland and Northern Europe. Visit the event website to submit proposals or learn more.

The American University of Sharjah will host the Drupal CMS Release Party on January 15, 2025, as part of the global DrupalFest celebrating the latest iteration of Drupal. Organized by Salman Haider and Majed Al-Chatti, the event coincides with Drupal's 24th anniversary, highlighting its legacy of innovation. Enthusiasts from across the UAE will gather to explore new features, network, and celebrate this milestone.

SearchStax highlighted AI-powered tools, enhanced analytics, and scalable search solutions in its 2024 Year in Review, emphasizing its impact on industries like higher education. The company celebrated milestones, including G2 recognition and partnerships with Terminalfour, Optimizely, and Magnolia. With a focus on innovation and reliability, SearchStax is poised for continued growth in 2025.

The eleventh edition of SymfonyOnline will feature interactive workshops on June 10–11, followed by talks with live Q&A sessions on June 12–13. This virtual event is a must-attend for Symfony enthusiasts, offering expert insights, networking, and the latest tools—all accessible from home.

Drupal 11 Launch Parties: A Global Celebration on January 15, 2025! Marking 24 years of Drupal, The Drop Times curates a listicle of launch events worldwide. Discover parties near you and join the community in celebrating this historic CMS milestone—visit CelebrateDrupal.org!

Symfony 7.2.2 introduces bug fixes and updates, including improved PropertyInfo handling, stricter URL validation in HtmlSanitizer, and enhanced security for "Referer" headers. Updates to HttpFoundation optimize file handling, while backward compatibility ensures a smooth upgrade. Developers are encouraged to upgrade using Symfony’s detailed documentation and tools.

Discover how Uniform’s Visual Workspace is redefining the Drupal experience by merging Drupal’s powerful content management backbone with a cutting-edge visual editor. Explore the benefits of adopting a headless or decoupled approach, the advantages of a composable digital ecosystem, and the role of modern front-end frameworks in delivering personalized and high-performing user experiences. In this story, Andrew Kumar, Global VP of Ecosystem & Customer Solutions at Uniform, explains why organizations are looking to Drupal and Uniform to stay ahead in the competitive digital space, offering insights into content federation, personalization, and the future of composable architectures.

Join the Drupal community in Gaithersburg, MD, to celebrate the launch of Drupal CMS, a game-changing tool for digital creators. The event features expert insights, new feature showcases, networking, and fun activities, with pizza and giveaways included. RSVP now to be part of this milestone in Drupal's 24-year journey!

SymfonyLive Paris 2025 is scheduled for March 27–28, 2025, at the Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris, with pre-conference training on March 25–26. The event offers a mix of in-depth training, engaging talks, and networking for Symfony and PHP professionals of all levels. Join the community to explore best practices, latest updates, and more in the vibrant heart of Paris!

LN Webworks has released the Brevo Contact Sync module to streamline data synchronization between Drupal and Brevo, enhancing marketing efficiency. Designed by Daljeet Kaur, the module offers dynamic user field mapping and customizable data integration. Inspired by Mailchimp integration, it simplifies data flow for tailored marketing campaigns.