The Impact of Blockchain on Web Development Editor Fri, 06/02/2023 - 13:37

Some believe the term "blockchain" is relevant only to cryptocurrencies and NFTs. These concepts are based on this method, but blockchain has dramatically expanded in recent years, affecting many areas, including web development. Such a decentralized algorithm is set to revolutionize the digital product development industry by reducing the risks of cybercrime, illegal access, and other fraudulent schemes. Let's discuss how blockchain affects programming today and what we should expect from this platform in the long run.

Picture this: an intuitive administration toolbar, seamless configuration management, dynamic content generation, and tailored site settings—all at your fingertips. With over 40,000 Drupal modules and 2500+ themes available, the potential to enhance your digital journey and revolutionize your experience as a website administrator or owner is unparalleled.

Moreover, you can effortlessly optimize your website, personalize content and tailor the Drupal interface to match your unique requirements. From Admin tools to Site settings and labels, each module offers a unique set of features that will supercharge your Drupal experience. Read the article to learn about the top five Drupal modules you need to install right away.

DrupalCon Pittsburgh 2023 is an incredible experience you wouldn't want to miss! I have had the privilege of attending multiple DrupalCons over the past ten years both as an engineer and CEO of Five Jars. Before entering this technological carnival, let me share a few tips and findings.

As we gather in June for DrupalCon North America, we are gathering during LGBTQ Pride Month in the U.S., a celebration of the 1969 Stonewall Uprising which was a tipping point for the gay liberation movement and spurred the growth of LGBT support organizations from 50 to 1,500 during the following year.  As an important part of U.S. history, President Obama established the Stonewall National Monument on June 23, 2016. Pride is recognized in June in many countries around the world to continue the fight for LGBTQ+ equity globally.

But we are also gathering at a time in the U.S. in which transgender rights are coming under attack in many states and local communities.

For this reason, the Drupal Association felt it important to restate our values, which are the values that run through open source itself and are values that guide our internal policies and our work with the Drupal Community.  At the core of our beliefs lies the principle that every individual, regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression, deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.

• We believe that supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion is important because it is the right thing to do and because it is essential to the health and success of the project.
• We seek to support diversity, equity, and inclusion and reduce hatred, oppression, and violence, especially towards our LGBTQ+ community members.  
• We will not accept intolerance towards LGBTQ+ community members. Every person is welcome (though every behavior is not).
• We acknowledge the unique experiences of our LGBTQ+ community members and commit to amplifying their voices.

The Drupal Association unequivocally supports legal protections that ensure LGBTQ+ individuals are afforded the same rights and opportunities as their heterosexual and cisgender counterparts, unimpaired by personal prejudices or systems of oppression.  This includes marriage equality, right to gender affirming medical care, right to privacy and comprehensive anti-discrimination laws that encompass employment, housing, healthcare, and public accommodations.

Join industry experts at DrupalCon Pittsburgh as they explore strategies to empower and accelerate the Drupal community's progress towards its strategic goals. Discover opportunities to broaden adoption, enable experts, drive contributions, and organize better. Be part of the conversation and help shape the future of Drupal

clemens-tolboom commented on MikeSchulze/gdUnit4#197 · June 1, 2023 10:56 clemens-tolboom commented Jun 1, 2023

See PR #196

clemens-tolboom opened an issue in MikeSchulze/gdUnit4 · June 1, 2023 10:55 Show test errors in Full #197

It would be cool to see the first error in full. This helps fixing the first bug faster. Before After

Coming to DrupalCon Pittsburgh? Be sure to stop by our booth and say hello!

Once again, Electric Citizen is sponsoring the great Drupal get-together, and we're looking forward to catching up with old friends and making new ones while we're there.

Whether you are looking for an agency partner for your organization, or looking for your next job in Drupal, stop by our booth in the exhibit hall to chat.

We’re well familiar with the saying that “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” Nowhere is that more true than on a web page. The banner component is an essential element in effectively conveying the brand and the culture within a framework for design flexibility. There’s a lot riding on getting it right.   The question is: what makes a banner work, and how do we build it properly so that it is reusable, responsive, configurable, aesthetically appealing, and useful? 

The Drupal Association is pleased to announce that Alex Moreno joined the team as of May 2023! We are thrilled to bring Alex’s talent and experience in the Drupal Community to the team.

Bringing Alex on continues the Drupal Association’s effort to become more global in our hiring.

Already very well known for his work in Drupal, Alex’s background includes a degree in Software Engineering with a major in Artificial Intelligence. For the past decade, he lived in London, working for big enterprise companies as a consultant and Technical Architect representing Acquia, Pantheon, The BBC, and Capgemini.

Additionally, Alex has a passion for journalism, communication, and marketing, which made him jump into a developer relations role during the past 12 months. At the Drupal Association, Alex works on the engineering team working on various projects. Considering himself a digital nomad, Alex lives between Madrid and his hometown near the Mediterranean Sea in Santa Pola. He enjoys anything related to the sea when in the Mediterranean, including windsurfing, kayaking, and sailing small dinghies.

When in Madrid, he swaps his passion for the sea with CrossFit and weightlifting! Recently, Alex got more into bodybuilding and healthy food habits, which made him lose around 15 kilograms in just a few months! He plans to promote healthy habits and exercise in the Drupal community as the biggest hack to improve productivity.

“Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.” – Jim Rohn

Welcome to the Drupal Association team, Alex!

clemens-tolboom commented on godotengine/godot#75550 · May 31, 2023 15:05 clemens-tolboom commented May 31, 2023

v4.0.3.stable.official [5222a99] I get the error Internal script error! Opcode: 0 (please report). when running the game then edit the active scene…

Two DrupalCon Pittsburgh Sessions (plus a new job announcement!) mherchel Wed, 05/31/2023 - 10:45

There are many good reasons for Drupal-focused organizations to contribute to Drupal, but for Lullabot, it comes down to these:

See our recent Aegir5 Roadmapping series for more background! Recently, Dries announced an exciting event at the upcoming DrupalCon Pittsburgh: Shark Tank meets Drupal: pitch your best innovation ideas/): Announcing “Pitch-burgh”, an innovation contest at DrupalCon Pittsburgh, where members of the Drupal community can pitch their ideas to receive funding. […] The entrepreneurs give short 2-3 minute presentations in the hopes of securing funding for their idea. Since we’re actively pursuing partners and funding for Aegir5 development, this seemed like it could be a good opportunity.

Best Practices for Cross-Platform Development in 2023 Editor Wed, 05/31/2023 - 15:42

Cross-platform mobile application development continues to gain popularity. This is due to the sharp rise in the creation of native software products that do not always bring the expected results. For instance, a cross-platform application can run on multiple operating systems, including Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X. Below, we will discuss cross-platform development and the tools to create multi-platform applications. 
It is worth considering that creating a high-quality cross-platform application without high-level programming languages is impossible. Choosing the right development environment that supports conditional compilation is also crucial. The principle of multi-platform development is based on using a single code base, ensuring compatibility with different platforms. Stability is achieved by timely and correct translation of the application code under a certain operating procedure.

TDT speaks to Renato to hear from him about his journey with Drupal. Keeping DrupalCon in mind, TDT also got to ask a few questions about his session, CI&T's Drupal Competence Office (DCO) and his advice on receiving Acquia certifications

The Drupal Community Working Group (CWG) is excited to announce the release of an updated Code of Conduct for the Drupal community. It will take effect on July 1, 2023. 

This new version is designed to reflect the growth of the Drupal community since the original Code of Conduct was adopted in 2010 and to help foster a safer, more inclusive, and harassment-free environment for everyone. While it retains the same basic structure as the previous document, much of the text was rewritten to make it easier to read. It also includes new elements inspired by other widely-used open source codes of conduct.

Some of the highlights of the updated Code of Conduct include:

• Improved Readability: The new document has shorter sentences and paragraphs than the previous version, making it easier to read and comprehend. It is also written in a less formal tone.
• Increased Clarity: The updated version includes more detail about where the Code of Conduct applies and the consequences of violating it. It emphasizes the shared responsibility of maintaining a welcoming community.
• More Specificity: Examples of positive and unacceptable behaviors have been added to each section to help community members better understand the expectations and guidelines for their conduct within the Drupal community
• Inclusivity and Diversity: The updated Code of Conduct places a stronger emphasis on fostering an inclusive and diverse environment for people of all backgrounds and identities, and is more consistent with Drupal’s Values and Principles.
• More Actionable: Instructions for reporting Code of Conduct violations are now broken out in an alert box to make them easier for people to find.

The process of updating the Code of Conduct began in earnest in the summer of 2022, building upon community feedback gathered by the CWG since 2017. It was spearheaded by a subgroup of the CWG’s Community Health Team, who gathered feedback and shared drafts with a diverse group of stakeholders across our global community. A draft was then shared publicly with the community for additional feedback and revision. Finally, the document was reviewed and approved by the CWG’s Conflict Resolution Team and Review Panel. If you will be attending the Community Summit at DrupalCon Pittsburgh, members of the team will be sharing additional  details at the “How We Updated the Drupal Code of Conduct” session.

We would like to express our gratitude to everyone who contributed to the development of the updated Code of Conduct. Your input and dedication have been invaluable in creating a more inclusive and welcoming environment for all community members.

We encourage all community members to read and familiarize themselves with the updated Code of Conduct. Drupal.org users will also be alerted to the new language when it goes into effect July 1.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to file an issue in the CWG’s issue queue. If you would prefer to reach out privately, you can also send an email to drupal-cwg@drupal.org. Your feedback is always welcome as we continue to improve and adapt our Code of Conduct to the evolving needs of our community.

Thank you for being a part of the Drupal community, and for your commitment to making it a welcoming and inclusive place for everyone.
 

Jim Vomero

Senior Engineer

As a tech lead, Jim works with clients through the full project cycle, translating their business requirements into actionable development work and working with them to find technical solutions to their challenges.

January 1, 1970

Running the digital experience is a large-scale operation for most higher ed institutions. Whether your architecture was established five or 15 years ago, the departments, offices, and entities you need to manage may add up to hundreds or even thousands of websites. And each new addition is increasingly challenging to maintain.

Some sites use shared modules, while others do not. If you want to make an update to one website, you have to cross your fingers and hope it doesn’t break something on 500 others. Every day, another stakeholder presents a new request in support of an upcoming project.

Facing all these compounding issues, the IT department at Yale understood that a lift-and-shift of their existing sites was impossible. Upgrading their digital platform presented an opportunity to reset their architecture and processes to start fresh.

In a preview of our upcoming presentation at DrupalCon 2023, here’s what happened next — and what your institution can learn from it.

Why reinvention makes sense for higher ed institutions

Universities are facing significant challenges related to budgets, economic uncertainty, and reduced admissions applications. The pandemic introduced further uncertainty balanced with an increased need to sharpen digital presentations.

As one of the most prestigious institutions in the world, Yale needed to find a new, more sustainable way to manage its digital needs. The institution had stretched the limits of a very mature Drupal 7 site with more than a decade’s worth of modules, themes, and custom code.

It was difficult for the IT team to test with confidence, because they manage more than 1,100 sites that were all created in different ways. In addition, the more impressive a new site looked, the more other offices and departments wanted to emulate it.

The unintended consequences of an overtaxed website platform

With the university’s website system at critical mass, Yale’s teams lacked incentive to add new features to its legacy platform. Consequently, some larger departments found the platform inflexible, leading them to Wix and Squarespace for new projects. If the university didn’t find a workable platform solution, it ran the risk of increased site errors, design inconsistencies, and a diminished user experience.

Resetting Yale’s approach to digital required a sizable upfront capital investment. As the work comes to fruition, the organization is gaining a flexible, scalable platform that will benefit every department into the next decade — and beyond.

YaleSites: A transformational approach to higher ed websites

YaleSites is the product of years of examining the university’s needs. Through our previous work with the institution’s cybersecurity office and the Schwarzman Center, we developed a new platform that incorporated the following elements:

A unified brand identity and design system

YaleSites offers many departments the ability to create unique digital experiences that are aligned with the institution’s overall design. Instead of a conventional CMS, Yale’s team uses a customized drag-and-drop page builder drawn from a library of proven components powered by Emulsify.

The YaleSites Welcome page Inclusive and accessible development for all customers and devices

Institutions like Yale need to offer an equitable digital experience for every audience. YaleSites upholds and prioritizes the university’s accessibility standards by making sure every content block follows best practices for usability and accessibility.

User-focused experience and design

YaleSites prioritizes the needs of the organization’s audience and its end users. Across the organization, content authors of every skill level can access a full library of templates, starter kits, and media libraries to produce what they need.

Adding blocks in the YaleSites administrative interface. Standardized practices for development

The organization’s development process has been streamlined. Rather than asking “What do you need in a website?”, work begins with the question, “How can our tools help with your strategy?” Developers don’t have to reinvent the wheel for a new site. Instead, they have the support of a system that’s performant, on-brand, and secure.

Sustainable governance

We implemented YaleSites with an eye toward thoughtful and sustainable growth. Universities often set digital priorities based on the loudest or most powerful voices in the organization. Now, Yale uses processes that enable them to focus on the organization’s most pressing needs. Plus, a core group meets regularly to collect feedback, respond to requests, and adjust priorities as needed.

Shifting from a project-based to a product-based perspective

After launching YaleSites, the institution will enter the maintenance phase of protecting its system. The university’s new platform required a significant financial investment — now it must invest in the long-term work of governance.

The success of Yale’s platform hinges on a seismic internal shift. YaleSites isn’t a project that concludes with a specific end date. It’s a product that the organization must refine and support in perpetuity.

Since YaleSites is a product, its resources are finite. For example, if IT plans to add six new features in a quarter, any new request is a negotiation. Something may need to get bumped from the product roadmap. Rather than rushing a new feature into development for a short-term need, the organization follows a multiyear roadmap and measures the needs against all of the priorities in the queue.

Eliminate deadline pressure by focusing on constant improvement

Thinking long-term about your organization’s website removes the need to squeeze as many improvements as possible into a project’s deadline. Following the principles of Agile development frees your team from solving every use case before launch. Instead, you can launch a minimally functional feature like an events calendar, see how people use it, and refine how it works according to actionable feedback.

YaleSites allows the institution to implement site improvements with confidence. Rather than working on whatever makes sense in the moment, they see their work progress from ideation to development, testing, and release.

From the flexibility of its digital tools to a more managed, Agile-driven approach to website improvements, YaleSites marks a dramatic shift for the better. If this sounds like a shift that would benefit how your organization works, we should talk. We can help you view your site and its planning from a new perspective.

Megan Bygness Bradley and the Yale team contributed to this post.

The post A more modern, sustainable approach to higher ed websites with YaleSites appeared first on Four Kitchens.

Matt Glaman joins us! Mark, Dave, and Matt examine how Drupal 7’s end-of-life challenges are symptomatic of a widespread approach to development. Matt dives deep into the drawbacks behind software maintenance, and unveils his plans to release Drupal Bridge by DrupalCon 2023.

In continuing our 20 years of Drupal series, Tag1 Consulting's, Managing Director Michael Meyers interviews leaders from the Drupal Community who have been instrumental in creating one of the largest open-source communities and one of the most popular Content Management Systems that powers over 3% of the Internet. In this installment, join us for our talk with prolific contributor Matthew Saunders. Currently at Pfizer, Matthew shares his journey into technology by way of the Arts, where he discovered his passion for technology after becoming a Webmaster for an experimental dance company back in 1995. With over 15 years of continuous involvement in the Drupal Community - former board member of the Drupal Association and long-time organizer of Drupalcamp Colorado, we hope you will enjoy this trip down memory lane. --- For a transcript of this video, see On 20 Years of Drupal with Matthew Saunders. --- Photo by Jason Hafso on Unsplash

Read more michaelemeyers Tue, 05/30/2023 - 06:15