It’s the people, stupid!
The real power of Drupal
SANDcamp, San Diego, CA Addison Berry
January 2009 Lullabot

What is Open Source?
A little frame of reference

http://flickr.com/photos/16038409@N02
No money!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hebe
Free speech - say and do what you want

What is Drupal?

We think of the code we download
That’s half of it - the other half is the people
The people e!ect the code which e!ects all the people using it, who in turn e!ect the code...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/greencolander
We think of the code we download
That’s half of it - the other half is the people
The people e!ect the code which e!ects all the people using it, who in turn e!ect the code...

“It’s really the Drupal community
and not so much the software that
makes the Drupal project what it is.
So fostering the Drupal community
is actually more important than
just managing the code base.”
- Dries Buytaert

What’s the point?
What is the goal or purpose of Drupal?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/eam
Software doesn’t have a goal beyond “working”

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thedepartment
People have goals and that drives the software
All perspectives can be part of it, but don’t assume your perspective or needs will be done for
you by others

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thedepartment
http://www.flickr.com/photos/andycpics
People have goals and that drives the software
All perspectives can be part of it, but don’t assume your perspective or needs will be done for
you by others

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thedepartment
http://www.flickr.com/photos/antitezo
http://www.flickr.com/photos/andycpics
People have goals and that drives the software
All perspectives can be part of it, but don’t assume your perspective or needs will be done for
you by others

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thedepartment
http://www.flickr.com/photos/antitezo
http://www.flickr.com/photos/andycpics
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sebastian-silva
People have goals and that drives the software
All perspectives can be part of it, but don’t assume your perspective or needs will be done for
you by others

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thedepartment
http://www.flickr.com/photos/antitezo
http://www.flickr.com/photos/andycpics http://www.flickr.com/photos/sbprzd
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sebastian-silva
People have goals and that drives the software
All perspectives can be part of it, but don’t assume your perspective or needs will be done for
you by others

How does this work?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/froboy
Do-ocracy: the person who does it gets the job. You don’t need to be an “expert”

http://www.flickr.com/photos/heather-dietz
Communication: share what you do
it goes both ways, but you need to initiate contact with others or they won’t know you’re
there

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dotpolka/
There are asshats in every community. Don’t be one.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dotpolka/
There are asshats in every community. Don’t be one.

You matter.
Each person that uses Drupal can have an impact on the software and the millions of other
people that use it

Questions, thoughts?
Addison Berry
add1sun
http://drupal.org/user/65088

Doc sprint Sunday from 10-2
Drawing for a copy of Using Drupal