News Roundup

Dries Buytaert announces "Drupal CMS" as the official name for the product developed under the Drupal Starshot Initiative. The rebranding follows user feedback, highlighting the clarity the term "CMS" brings, improving accessibility for newcomers and marketers. The "Drupal Starshot" codename will be retired after the first release, marking Drupal's commitment to user-friendly evolution.

Voting for the 2024 Drupal Association At-Large Board Member election is now open until September 5, 23:59 UTC. The election has shifted to an Approval voting system, allowing members to approve multiple candidates. Eligible voters received their ballots via email and can vote through the Helios Voting tool. The DropTimes is running a "Meet the Candidate" campaign to provide deeper insights into each candidate.

Droptica is hosting a free webinar titled "The Future After Drupal 7" on August 27, 2024, at 3:00 PM CEST. Led by Droptica CEO Maciej Łukiański, the session will explore strategies for managing Drupal 7 websites post-end-of-life, including upgrading, migrating, and maintaining. Website owners and developers can register online to gain expert advice on navigating this transition.

With a few days left until the Regular Registration deadline for DrupalCon Barcelona 2024, participants are urged to register by 19 August at 23:59 CEST to secure the €930 rate. The event features four days of sessions, keynotes, BoF meetings, and contribution opportunities, plus access to social events. Early registration is crucial to benefit from the Regular rate and group discounts.

At DrupalGovCon 2024, the "Revitalizing Our Drupal Communities" panel addresses the challenges posed by the pandemic in sustaining local Drupal groups. Led by experts like Anoop John, Nina Ogor, and John Doyle, the discussion focuses on strategies for community rebuilding, inclusivity, and long-term engagement. Emphasizing outreach to new and underrepresented members, the panel highlights key initiatives to sustain momentum and keep Drupal relevant in a rapidly evolving web landscape.

LagoonCon Barcelona 2024, scheduled for September 23, offers in-depth sessions on the open-source application delivery platform Lagoon, just ahead of DrupalCon. Attendees will gain insights from experts, including Lagoon's development team, on optimizing Drupal site management and customizing hosting strategies. The event targets developers, CTOs, and site builders, with registration closing on the same day.

The Drupal Association is hosting two Open Community Forums today, 14 August, as part of the 2024 Board Elections, providing an opportunity for the community to engage with the candidates. Voting for the open at-large board seat begins tomorrow, 15 August, and will close on 5 September. In support of the election, The DropTimes has launched a "Meet the Candidate" campaign, featuring interviews with the candidates to offer deeper insights ahead of the voting period.

The Drupal Brisbane community is hosting a Drupal 11 release party at Brisbane Square Library on September 17, 2024. The event will feature presentations, documentation sprints, and social discussions, both in person and online. Attendees are encouraged to submit topics for discussion, and Tomato Elephant Studio will sponsor the event.

CiviCRM will host an online session on September 10, 2024, to discuss Drupal 7's End of Life, set for January 5, 2025. The session will explore options like upgrading Drupal, switching CMS, or using a Never Ending Support Package. Attendees can ask questions to prepare their CiviCRM installations for the upcoming change.

Aten Design Group is hosting a webinar titled "GitHub Co-Pilot and Actions: Enhancing Drupal Development with New Tools" on August 14, 2024, at 2 PM EDT. Senior Developer Jordan Graham will guide Drupal developers through integrating AI-powered tools like GitHub Co-Pilot for code completion and GitHub Actions for workflow automation. Register now to enhance your Drupal development practices with cutting-edge GitHub technologies.

Drupal Gutenberg releases versions 3.0.3 and 2.10, now fully compatible with Drupal 11. These updates feature bug fixes and enhanced user experience. They allow seamless content mapping, fixed layouts, and reusable blocks without coding, ideal for large sites and marketing teams. With over 4,400 sites using the module, developers are urged to upgrade and explore new features supported by extensive documentation.

Dries Buytaert will deliver his 40th Driesnote at DrupalCon Barcelona on September 24, 2024, focusing on the Drupal Starshot initiative. He will provide a product strategy update and demonstrate the expected features of the Starshot launch. Attendees will also learn how to participate in the initiative.

Drupal GovCon 2024, the premier conference for Drupal professionals and government IT experts, begins tomorrow at the Riggs Center, University of Maryland, Washington, D.C. This free, three-day event, running from August 13-15, will feature over 800 participants, with a focus on the Drupal Starshot initiative and sessions across nine tracks. Organized with inclusivity and community collaboration in mind, the conference promises rich networking opportunities, hands-on learning, and recorded sessions available on drupal.tv for those unable to attend in person.

Jim Birch of Kanopi Studios and John Doyle from Digital Polygon are spearheading the SEO track for the Drupal Starshot initiative, aiming to create a search-optimized Drupal CMS. They've launched a community survey, open until August 16, 2024, to gather insights on Drupal's SEO practices. Participants can contribute anonymously or receive issue credit by providing their Drupal.org username.

This week, from August 12 to August 18, the Drupal community is abuzz with events, with Drupal GovCon 2024 taking center stage from August 13 to 15 at the University of Maryland. Key meetups include gatherings in Brisbane, Canberra, and Seattle, alongside specialized online sessions such as "GitHub Co-Pilot and Actions" on August 14. These events offer rich opportunities for learning, networking, and collaboration across the global Drupal community.

Jon Pugh, Founder of ThinkDrop, will present at DrupalGovCon 2024 on integrating GitHub Actions with DDEV Site Runner for self-hosted CI/CD environments. His session on August 13 will showcase how developers can automate hosting without relying on third-party tools like Jenkins, enhancing efficiency and security. The presentation includes a demo of the DDEV Site Runner used at Washington State University, Vancouver.

Drupal Association has launched the Starshot Bounty Program, offering new contribution credits to reward key community efforts. The program focuses on accelerating innovation in Drupal's core projects. Contributors can earn credits for their work on high-priority tasks that will shape the platform's future.