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Aside from having a phonetically intriguing name, the content management system Drupal also has a dedicated core of programmers who work tirelessly to extend and improve its functionality. A slightly more sophisticated CMS than a blogging-oriented system like WordPress, Drupal’s main benefit is that it is very open to incorporating different “modules.” To use an analogy, this means that Drupal’s solid programming trunk has countless equally solid module branches. Each branch only helps to enhance the overall fitness and scope of the CMS. New modules sprout practically every day from around the globe. Drupal also offers what is known as a Taxonomy feature, which enables administrators to set highly specific and nuanced categories for different forms of content. These types of features make it easy to remake websites as needed without having to spend enormous amounts of money reinvesting in infrastructural costs.
This flexibility and rigorous international support structure means that Drupal is the preferred CMS for major websites such as The White House and international finance magazine “The Economist.” It is free to install, although training sessions are recommended for those who intend to use the CMS to build sites. Some companies make their living by providing employees or engineers who are specifically trained in Drupal in order to build commercial or public sector sites. However, as an open-source platform Drupal is not “restricted.” Anyone who has a genuine interest in using the CMS may do so, with the caveat that it may take them some time to learn their way around the system.
Drupal’s goals in 2012 include creating a more stable version of “Drupal 8” in order to increase the amount of users globally. In order to facilitate this goal, the programmers who are actively working on this version of the CMS are attempting to create a slightly more organized forum where programmers and users can comment on problems or breakthroughs they have made with the CMS. This forum would also stage more regular meetings with top Drupal operators in an effort to spot problems, share solutions and generally craft an increasingly powerful and ubiquitous CMS.
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- Why does Ecademy use Drupal for CMS [Lawrence Perry] (ecademy.com)
- How Content Management Systems Help the Public and Private Sectors (csedev.com)
