Drupaldelphia offers low cost conference for open source CMS this Friday

As is often the case with software releases, outside of the immediate community of users, there was little fanfare about the latest release of Drupal, which came out in January.
But last year at Drupaldelphia, Philly’s first conference dedicated to the increasingly popular open source content management system, it was making its way into the conversation among the 140 attendees.
Presenters — plucked from local Drupal web development shops like Rock River Star and Zivtech, who together organized the event — were gearing up for the release. After all, it promised improved usability in its user interface and more. And for content management systems, ease of use has become paramount.

Now, as the fourth Drupaldelphia conference in four years approaches this Friday, discussing Drupal 7, as the new version is known, will be more a priority. But it won’t be the entire conversation. Drupal has been building a steady stream of releases over the years, and the conference aims to help you navigate all of it.
And if there’s ever been a case study for the effectiveness and maturity of the platform, it’s that the federal government has taken the open source platform to heart. Enter Drupaldelphia’s keynote: Jason Hoekstra, Technology Solutions Advisor for the U.S. Department of Education, who has led the development and design of TEACH.gov, Data.ED.gov, IdeaEngine.ED.gov and Innovation.ED.gov.
“When I talk to clients, explaining that the federal government is a huge Drupal user, that means something to people,” says conference co-organizer Nate Gasser.
It’s no coincidence that this year’s keynote is education-focused. Drupaldelphia doesn’t have education as a track of sessions, but there’s an increasing amount of interest in Drupal in education communities, Gasser says. Likewise for mobile. Gasser expects much conversation about connecting to audiences on mobile phones.
Held again at Alter Hall, Temple’s new home for the Fox School of Business, the conference promises a shockingly well-priced package: $20 gets you a full-day of sessions, breakfast, lunch and a free T-shirt.