7 Myths About Open Source and How Drupal Debunks Them

7 Myths About Open Source and How Drupal Debunks Them

FFW Marketing
AfFFW Marketing
januar 26, 2012
Header image of Atomic Design vs Pattern Libraries blog

We hear myths everywhere.

  • Eating pop rocks while drinking Coke causes holes in your stomach
  • Wild alligators live in NYC sewers
  • Mr. Rogers was a Navy Seal

While false, these urban myths continue to crop up with each new generation.

We hear myths everywhere.

  • Eating pop rocks while drinking Coke causes holes in your stomach
  • Wild alligators live in NYC sewers
  • Mr. Rogers was a Navy Seal

While false, these urban myths continue to crop up with each new generation.

There are myths just about everything, particularly if the target gets a lot of tongues wagging. Open source has certainly gotten a lot of positive buzz from the general public, there are few naysayers who spread the myths listed below. These myths may not be on the same level as alligators and pop rocks, but the hardcore Drupalists at Blink felt the need to stick up for our chosen CMS and set the record straight.

Myth #7: Vulnerable. Drupal is secure by default and there are also modules and programs that add another barrier against those seeking to harm your website. For example, the Security Review module makes sure that you didn’t accidentally make your site vulnerable because of improper module configuration, wobbly systems permissions or dangerous uploading practices.

Myth #6: Little support for system issues. There are 14,284 modules in development with 14,803 Drupal developers working on them, which means that odds are good that someone is working to create a new module or fix an existing one.

Myth #5: Difficult to upgrade Migrating is tricky--it doesn’t really matter what CMS you’re working with. The good news is that there are a lot of avenues that provide help if you’re migrating from one version of Drupal to another, or from a different CMS altogether. And if you’re muddling through the resources and would like professional guidance, there are Drupal development firms willing to help with the migration.

Myth #4: Troublesome third-party integration and documentation. If it was so difficult, you wouldn’t have so many Drupal sites with third-party integration. Yet Twitter, Ubercart, Alfresco and many others have coupled with Drupal to make the most out of open source technologies.

Myth #3: Shallow Features/functionality. At first installation, Drupal could seem a little bare, it doesn’t come with a lot of out-of-the box features. However, this gives you the freedom to create the site you want, without a lot of extraneous features that only weigh it down. With the thousands of modules out there, you can build a robust, stream-lined website that’s tailored exactly to your needs.

Myth #2: Low Level of activity of the developer community. DrupalCons, Drupal Camps, meet-ups, training sessions--all are venues where the growing Drupal community come together to share information. Currently, the community is 757,049 strong. Kudos to those who help make Drupal a complete success.

Myth #1: Lackluster future. If you take a look at the demand for Drupal developers, this claim is just downright silly. A search for “Drupal” on SimplyHired.com yields almost 3,000 while a search for “Joomla” only produces 992. Drupal is kicking butt and taking names!

The Drupal developer employment rate is a great indicator of the warm reception Drupal has received from lots of different industries but if you’re still not convinced of its prowess, check out what recent Drupal-convert, Matt Berger, has to say about his new CMS:

“It's a powerful digital publishing platform that we're launching this week to take [our site] into the digital future...Drupal is different. It's built for seeking out and for discovery. It's built for sharing. It's built for listening. It's built for being social and communal. And most important, it's simple to use...and Drupal can deliver that content to more people and places in new ways than ever before, to social media networks, podcasts, mobile apps, and our new website.”