Brian's thoughts put into words
Twenty-one years ago, Joomla was born.
At the time, none of us knew what the future would hold. We had an idea, a belief that there was a better way to build software for the web, and a determination to create something that would give people the freedom to publish, share and build online.
What we could not have imagined was the journey that would follow.
Read more: Standing on the Shoulders of Giants (Stacked So High I Can Almost Touch the Moon)
On 17 August, Joomla turns 21 years old.
Twenty-one years.
In human terms, that's old enough to buy a drink almost anywhere in the world.
In technology terms, it's practically prehistoric.
If you are studying computer science, software engineering, web development or anything else involving computers, I have a suggestion for you: take a few days away from university.
No, I haven't suddenly decided that education is a waste of time. Quite the opposite. I'm suggesting that you spend a few days doing something that will complement what you are learning in lectures, seminars and textbooks in a way that university simply cannot.
Your website has been hacked. What do you tell your users?
Please don't tell them the site is “down for maintenance” when you know perfectly well that it has been compromised. Being hacked is bad enough; misleading the people who trusted you with their data is considerably worse.
Whenever accessibility, inclusion, equality or discrimination are discussed, someone inevitably asks the same question.
"But how many people does this affect?"
It's the wrong question.
It doesn't matter whether the answer is one person, one hundred people or one hundred million people. Rights are not decided by opinion polls. Equality isn't something that only applies once a problem reaches a statistically significant threshold.
As the Joomla World Conference gets closer, someone always asks me the same question.
"Is it really worth it?"
It's a fair question. A conference ticket isn't free, and once you add travel and accommodation, it can seem like a lot of money. We all know that times are tough, and it's tempting to decide that you'll just watch the recordings afterwards.
Most website owners like to think about security in terms of preventing attacks. We install updates, choose strong passwords, enable extra protection and hope that nothing ever goes wrong. But the reality is that if your website is online, there is always a possibility, some would say probability, that something unexpected will happen.
Your website may be hacked. A server may fail. An update may break something important. The question is not whether these things can happen, but whether you are prepared when they do.
There comes a point in every project, business, community group or open source team where the biggest obstacle isn't a lack of ideas or a shortage of effort.
It's the leader.
The person at the top is often the one slowing everything down. Not because they aren't capable, but because they're trying to do too much.
Many people think leadership is about making the big decisions, setting the direction and inspiring others. Those things matter, but they're only part of the picture.
Real leadership is about delegation.
It's easy to complain about bad customer service. It's much rarer to publicly thank people when they get it right.
A parcel arrives late, a restaurant gets your order wrong, or a support agent gives you a copy-and-paste answer that doesn't address your question. Those are the experiences we remember, the ones we tell our friends about, and sometimes the ones we share online.
What we don't do nearly often enough is talk about the people who get it right.
Congratulations, you discovered a hidden secret!