Twenty Years of Progress in the Open Web

This was an auspicious week for two institutions behind what we know as the open web.

It's the 20th birthday for both Wikipedia, the giant online encyclopedia, and Drupal, the open-source web platform. Both of these tools are free -- as in no charge to use. But they also advance the ethos of free speech, which underpins so much of the web. When people talk about democratizing information, it's the ability to give a voice to more people than ever before. And these tools help make that possible.

It's common knowledge that Wikipedia makes available almost endless pages of information to anyone with an internet connection. Behind those pages are many more writers and editors who contribute their time and skills for all. There is no cost to join those ranks, no specific diploma required. It is truly an amazing community of people working with common purpose and for a common good.

What Wikipedia does for information. Drupal does for open-source software. Now after 20 years, Drupal represents the work of scores of software devs and others, seeking to empower others to build everything from simple web sites to powerful computer applications.

My own experience with Drupal began about 10 years ago. I was looking for a transition from a job making content, as a journalist, to building the technology that supported it. I found Drupal as it gained popularity in Washington, and since then it has provided me not just an income but opportunities to work with community efforts that offer enormous value to me.

So what did spark the Drupal interest in Washington? After President Obama entered the White House, his digital team and many other federal agencies invested in Drupal platforms to support their missions. This brought new attention to the platform, but also an entirely source of contributors to both the software product, as well as the strategy and organization of content-management.

It's curious that this 20-year anniversary coincides with a change of power in the U.S. presidency. The tech sector often ignores its past, seeking to build anew with little attention to lessons learned. But the project of the U.S. government -- just like an open- source platform like Drupal -- builds upon what came before. Nothing can be erased as if it never existed. It must be refined and enhanced and, maybe in time, a piece of computer code can be retired in place of something better. Always in search of self-reflection and improvement.

So I, for one, raise a glass to all those contributors behind Wikipedia and Drupal. And I look forward to the future, with an open mind to the kind of progress that got us to today!