Here at Phase2, we believe that Drupal distributions have the potential to shift the playing field. However, one of the Drupal projects biggest challenges right now is awareness of its capabilities and value. As Tom Erikson discusses in his AMA a couple months ago:

“For Drupal to remain relevant we need to ensure that it competes well in [the market], and that the marketing and awareness of Drupal … improves dramatically.”

We see specialized distributions as a vehicle to market Drupal in an engaging and accessible way to the market. The usability, ease of setup, and specialization inherent in distributions helps Drupal compete in the greater software market. As we push to make user experience a major asset in Drupal 8, we have an amazing opportunity to build on the progress already made in so many of the distributions out there. Phase2 has recently made usability and UX improvements for Open Atrium and OpenPublic, and we are excited to see where we can take Drupal distributions next, as a community, laying the groundwork for Drupal 8.

Phase2 has always believed it is vital for Drupal distributions to be community-driven endeavors. For this reason, I am excited to announce that Phase2 will be kicking off DrupalCon Amsterdam with a Distribution hackathon!

The hackathon will start at 3PM on Monday September 29th, and will continue throughout the afternoon and into the night.  We’re asking folks to get together and hack on install profiles, distributions and Apps to move Drupal forward. There is a lot of really awesome sprinting happening at DrupalCon already and we look forward to participating with the Drupal community.  If you are interested in learning more about the Phase2 hackathon at DrupalCon Amsterdam, check out the program page and agenda to register for a spot!