Digital Doha Summit - ICT Qatar and Open Source
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This document summarizes an organization's transition from a proprietary content management system to an open source system using Drupal. It describes how the proprietary system had become expensive to update and maintain. The open source Drupal platform provided more flexibility, security, and an engaged developer community. While the migration was mostly smooth, some challenges remain in developing the Arabic open source community and customizing the new system. Overall, the organization is pleased with becoming less reliant on consultants and more in control of its technology choices and future.
Digital Doha Summit - ICT Qatar and Open Source
- 1. Confessions of a Recovering Propriety Software User PURPOSE PIXELS WITH June 2012
- 2. A web designer’s worst nightmare Source: www.theoatmeal.com
- 5. Where We Were • Proprietary CMS developed in 2007 • Same CMS used 2007-2010 – we were stuck • Expensive updates and upgrades • Fewer developers able to work on the CMS • Declining usability, accessibility
- 7. All that we wanted to be: • Leaders in ICT – setting the trends in Qatar • Constituent focused – user friendly and accessible • Agile and flexible • Less reliant on consultants – build in- house capacity • BUT also secure and Source: Flickr, â–“â–’â–‘ TORLEY â–‘â–’â–“ resilient
- 8. The Solution: Open Source and Drupal • No vendor lock-in • A larger pool of designers and developers – and ones we could hire! • Built-in features that were constantly being upgraded by the community • Ability to quickly upgrade, modernize as web trends evolve
- 9. And of course it’s for the greater good! • Open source keeps knowledge and innovation moving forward • A major contributor to the Arabic developer community • ictQATAR is committed to growing an open source developer community in Qatar • AND supports digital openness in general
- 11. So here we are now…
- 12. And more open source sites too!
- 13. Reflections on our experience – we are reformed (mostly) • Overall, the migration to Drupal went fairly smoothly • Very limited errors, “bugs” upon launch • User feedback has been very positive • Regular upgrades, tweaks, and modifications since – without breaking the bank • In-house team leading many projects now • No security breaches or issues • Advances have been shared with the community • AND we aren’t locked in (mostly)!
- 14. But of course there were some challenges… • The Arabic developer community is not as developed for as other communities in both Drupal and WordPress • Open Source can take more time – off-the-shelf is sometimes easier • With a highly customized site, incumbent developer still has a leg up Source: Flickr Bludgeoner86
- 15. Source: Flickr, marc falardeau