News Roundup

Promet Source has launched DUSWDS, an open-source Drupal distribution tailored for U.S. federal agencies to comply with the U.S. Web Design System (USWDS) and Section 508 accessibility standards. The platform simplifies content management with pre-built, accessible components and a drag-and-drop interface via Drupal's Layout Builder. DUSWDS aims to streamline compliance, reduce development costs, and enhance security while providing a modern, user-friendly experience across government websites.

DrupalCon Atlanta 2025 is seeking volunteers to contribute to one of the largest Drupal events, offering free tickets for those committing at least 8 hours. Roles range from program development to logistics, with key positions on committees like Speaker Review and Marketing requiring 20-35 hours. Local Ambassadors, on-site helpers, and translation assistants are also needed, offering participants valuable networking and Drupal contribution credits.

DrupalCamp Scotland 2024 is confirmed for October 25 at Paterson’s Land in Edinburgh. Organized by key community members, the in-person event will bring together Drupal enthusiasts for networking and collaboration. Tickets are available now, with more event details to follow soon.

SystemSeed made a significant impact at DrupalCon Barcelona 2024, showcasing its leadership in Human-Centric Design and Learning Management Systems (LMS). Their Anu LMS, a Drupal-based open-source tool, highlighted its global reach, supporting organizations in over 70 countries with accessibility and ease of use. SystemSeed also shared future plans for Anu LMS enhancements and explored AI integration trends in Drupal through key sessions and developer insights.

Drupal enthusiasts will gather in London on October 15, 2024, for an evening focused on unique Drupal applications, featuring talks on the Crossword module and LocalGov Drupal (LGD). Dan Flanagan will showcase his module's ability to integrate interactive crossword puzzles into Drupal sites, while Ekes and Finn Lewis will discuss LGD's impact on UK councils, saving up to 80% in website costs. The event, also streamed online, will offer networking opportunities and highlight Drupal's versatility.

The Drupal Community Working Group (CWG) is partnering with Sage Sharp of Otter Tech to offer online "Code of Conduct Incident Response" training for event organizers. The workshop aims to equip organizers with practical tools to handle Code of Conduct violations, including report evaluation and behavior management. Workshops are available monthly, with a $50 discount for Drupal CWG sign-ups.

The Drupal Association has announced the Steering Committee for DrupalCon Atlanta 2025, featuring seven key leaders from the community. The committee includes Bree Benesh, Fredric Mitchell, Jasmyne Epps, Michael Anello, Nikki Flores, Rosie Gladden, and Stephen Mustgrave, emphasizing a "for the community, by the community" approach. With their diverse expertise, the team aims to create a collaborative and inclusive event for all attendees.

Drupal enthusiasts can look forward to a packed week of events from October 7-13, 2024, offering opportunities for learning, collaboration, and networking. Key highlights include the Drupal-Austria Meetup in Vienna on October 9, the virtual Code of Conduct Incident Response Workshop the same day, and Drupal Cafe Lutsk #26 in Ukraine on October 10. Major events like the Pacific Northwest Drupal Summit in Seattle and DrupalDay Portugal 2024 will round off the week with engaging sessions and workshops.

The Linux Professional Institute (LPI) marks 25 years of advancing open-source expertise, with over 250,000 certifications in 180 countries. From October to December 2024, every 25th LPI exam taker will win a free voucher for their next exam. This initiative highlights LPI's dedication to empowering IT professionals and promoting Linux globally.

The Debug Academy launches a 3-month Drupal 10 Web Development Training program, offering small-group, online bootcamps tailored to beginners and self-taught developers. Led by industry experts, the course focuses on front-end development, equipping participants with hands-on skills to build professional websites. Graduates gain real-world experience and are prepared for high-demand, lucrative Drupal developer roles.

The Drupal AI Meetup on October 17, 2024, will showcase how AI is reshaping web development within the Drupal ecosystem. Hosted by Nico Grienauer and James Abrahams, the virtual event will feature a retrospective on AI themes from DrupalCon Barcelona 2024 and a talk by Scott Euser on AI-powered search. The event will conclude with a Q&A, fostering discussions on AI’s future in Drupal workflows.

Vincenzo Gambino, a Drupal Architect and Senior React Developer, has successfully integrated Drupal with the rising front-end framework Astro, addressing a gap in Astro’s CMS documentation. His team developed a starter kit and demo, showcased at events like the London Drupal User Group and Florida DrupalCamp, highlighting the seamless use of Drupal's JSON:API with Astro. Vincenzo’s work, including a React-based contact form, streamlines building high-performance, content-driven websites with Drupal and Astro.

The Drupal University initiative, introduced at DrupalCon Barcelona 2024, aims to integrate Drupal into academic environments through accessible courses and training programs. It encourages community contributions to build an open-source curriculum, blending theory with real-world projects. The initiative also supports educators through the "Teach the Teacher" program and seeks to connect students, teachers, and industry professionals to grow the Drupal ecosystem.

Drupal founder Dries Buytaert highlights a growing issue in open-source communities: the imbalance between contributors ("Makers") and profit-driven entities ("Takers"). He warns that unchecked "Taker" behavior could deter innovation and harm open-source sustainability. To address this, Drupal's Contribution Credit System rewards organizations for their contributions, promoting fairness and growth. Dries suggests WordPress could benefit from a similar approach to ensure a healthier ecosystem.

The jury for the 2024 Dutch Splash Awards includes Stella Power, Bostjan Kovac, Anja Schirwinski, Bas Boot, Bram Driesen, Julia Topliss, Marine Gandy, and Paul Johnson. The awards will be held on November 27, 2024, with the submission deadline extended to October 7, 2024.

The Drupal Portugal Association has announced the schedule for Drupal Day Portugal 2024, happening on October 11 at the University of Aveiro. The event will feature workshops and sessions for all skill levels, including a keynote by Dominique De Cooman from Dropsolid on integrating Mautic, Drupal, and open DXP. Highlights also include sessions on AI-assisted module development, debugging, and a Kubernetes workshop led by Ricardo Amaro from Acquia.

At DrupalCon Barcelona 2024, Elise West from SystemSeed led a session on Human-Centered Design (HCD), focusing on its growing importance in the Drupal ecosystem. The talk highlighted how HCD prioritizes real-world user experiences, especially for NGOs and public sector projects, to create technology solutions that align with end-user needs. SystemSeed emphasized involving both developers and project managers in the HCD process to enhance project outcomes through continuous feedback and user testing.

DrupalCon Atlanta 2025 expands its Scholarships and Community Grants programs to support individuals from historically oppressed communities, offering full financial assistance for conference participation. The initiative aims to break down systemic barriers by providing comprehensive support, including travel, lodging, and mentorship, to marginalized groups. Donors are encouraged to contribute to these efforts, enhancing diversity and inclusivity within the Drupal open-source community.

The DrupalSouth Steering Committee has opened nominations for its 2024 elections, encouraging candidates from Australia and New Zealand to self-nominate by 10 October 2024. Five seats are available, with a focus on gender and geographic representation, and voting will occur between 14 and 28 October. Results will be announced in November, filling seats with staggered terms to ensure continuity.

"Level Up Your Drupal Content Editing with CKEditor Features" webinar is set for October 16, 2024, at 11:00 AM EDT. Learn how to integrate advanced CKEditor plugins, including AI tools and productivity enhancers, to streamline your content workflows. Whether you're a developer or site admin, this session will boost your Drupal editing efficiency—register now!

DrupalCon Barcelona 2024 concluded with The DropTimes delivering extensive virtual coverage, thanks to the dedicated efforts of volunteers. Key contributors like Michaela Jurčeková, Surabhi Gokte, Anto Jose, and others played a crucial role in bringing the event's vibrancy to life through articles, photos, and videos. The DropTimes expressed heartfelt gratitude to all involved for making this coverage possible.

Droptica has launched a Drupal 7 Audit Tool to help companies estimate the costs and effort of migrating to Drupal 10 or 11. The tool extracts detailed metadata from Drupal 7 sites, offering insights into content types, modules, themes, and more for accurate migration planning. A demo video on Droptica’s blog shows how to generate audit data in just five minutes.

The Pinto module, developed by Daniel Phin and adopted by PreviousNext, introduces a new architecture for Drupal theming through reusable Theme Objects. By replacing traditional Drupal theming mechanisms, Pinto simplifies asset management, reduces manual work, and integrates seamlessly with tools like Storybook. Its modular design enhances development efficiency, making Pinto the go-to solution for theming in new Drupal projects at PreviousNext.

Drupal Mountain Camp 2025 has opened its call for speakers, inviting web development professionals to share expertise at the event in Switzerland from March 11-13, 2025. The camp features seven tracks, including Frontend, Backend, UX, and Innovation, with diverse session formats encouraged. Proposals are due by December 15, 2024, and selected speakers will receive a free ticket and exclusive event perks.

At DrupalCon Barcelona 2024, non-code contributions were highlighted, with experts urging more mentorship and recognition for roles like event organizers and designers. Discussions also focused on Drupal's rebranding, with a call for unbranded case studies to showcase its capabilities on drupal.org.