21 Feb 2016

Can you use Drupal 8 yet?

Hi, I’m Robyn and I’ve been a Drupal Developer Apprentice at Catch for three months. 

As developers, modules are crucial to everything we do. They help manage media and content across complex sites, they simplify back-end processes and PHP development, and they help implement complex components and features across sites in a matter of minutes where they’d normally take hours. They are the bread-and-butter of Drupal development, and without stable modules available our job would be very, very difficult.

As such, when Drupal 8 was released we took a special interest in the state of module development. Because Drupal 7 has benefitted from more than 5 years of contribution and development from the Drupal community, Drupal 7 is an incredibly stable and powerful platform. 

We’ve been a bit spoiled, and despite the really amazing changes and improvements that we’ve been promised with Drupal 8, we were hesitant to jump on the bandwagon until we’d done a bit more research on what modules were really available for use. 

So, back in early December (shortly after Drupal 8 was released) I started to track the development status of modules in Drupal 8. I put together a list of the most-used Drupal modules and examined each module’s development status. 

Here's what I found: 

 

Status of Drupal’s top 25 most-used modules (Dec 2015): 

In Core: 7

Stable: 5

Percent Usable: 48%

In Alpha & Beta: 3

Unstable: 7

Unavailable: 3

Percent Unusable: 52%

 

If I’m 100% honest, I was pretty stunned at these numbers. With only 48% of Drupal’s most-used modules available at the time, it seemed that developing a complex site in Drupal 8 would have been a worrying prospect, given the inherent stability of Drupal 7. 

This was a disappointing outcome - we really wanted to start building in Drupal 8 but it just wasn’t ready for us!  

Given the dedicated and active Drupal community, I was curious to see how quickly things would improve. I figured it was just a matter of time before more people started getting involved. 

And so, three months have passed since that initial review and now, with Drupal Camp London just around the corner (Mar 4th - 6th), I thought it would be a good time to take another look. 

 

Status of Drupal’s top 25 most-used modules (Feb 2016):

In Core: 11

Stable: 6

Percent Usable: 68%

In Alpha & Beta: 4

Unstable: 4

Unavailable: 0

Percent Unusable: 32%

 

These results represent a 20% increase in the availability of Drupal’s top-modules within just a three month time frame. 

While that number may not sound terribly impressive at first glance, it represents a significant effort on behalf of the Drupal community to get Drupal 8 up-and-running. 

As Drupal is completely open-source and dependent on the unpaid contributions of its members, that 20% improvement is 100% fueled by the voluntary efforts and pure dedication of people throughout the community. And that’s just downright impressive. Plus, pathauto and admin toolbar work now!

But, don't just take my word for it. Feel free to take a look at my research!

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19 Aug 2015

Just launched: Stonewall

We're proud to unveil the new website for Stonewall, the leading charity for lesbian, gay, bi and trans equality.

Stonewall appointed us to design and build the website following a competitive pitch at the end of 2014, the new website www.stonewall.org.uk also reveals a fresh new look for the 26-year-old charity.

New features include clearer designs and easier search functions, a new information structure to enable better more intuitive navigation and a responsive design. All of Stonewall’s websites – Stonewall Scotland, Stonewall Cymru and Young Stonewall – have also been integrated to sit across one site.

Stonewall has also recently added the tagline - Acceptance without exception, to its famous star logo, demonstrating its commitment to making real change to ensure everyone, everywhere is free to be themselves.

Content has also been refreshed to make the information engaging and clear, with new film and photo content to be developed to ensure the site is fully accessible. The new website now also hosts Stonewall’s expansive library of research and publications in a new format so they're easier to browse and download. 

The website also has a new section – Stonewall Says – to communicate the charity's view on news, recent trends and issues affecting LGBT people, as well as a spotlight on Stonewall volunteers to celebrate their achievements and demonstrate the benefits of volunteering as well as encouraging others to get involved.

As part of this commitment, Stonewall is strengthening its networks and developing deeper relationships with people from ethnic minorities, faith-based groups and those who live in rural communities to secure equality for all.

Stonewall’s website is used by a variety of audiences such as schools and corporate businesses working to create inclusive and accepting cultures; LGBT people and groups seeking legal guidance or information on support in their area; volunteers, donors and supporters looking for how to get involved; journalists looking for information and research on LGBT issues; and UK and international human rights activists looking for ideas and resources.

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