We were delighted to attend the Joomla forum for the future event in marbella in Spain over the last few days. The format of the event is something new for the Joomla community, an invitational sort of retreat for around 50 volunteers, contributors and stakeholders, mainly consisting of forum and discussion type sessions. There was quite a lot of self analysis and introspection to try to understand where the project is, and where it's going. We'd really like to thank the organizers and facilitators for making this brave concept a practical and productive reality.
One of the strengths, and occasionally weaknesses, of the Joomla community is the wide spread of interests and perspectives of its members. As such it is important to remember not everyone will always be happy all the time, so events like this really help everyone better understand each other's views and perspectives.
There was, on the whole, a tangible feeling of greater clarity, direction and understanding by the end of the event.
On a more personal level, we really enjoyed meeting old friends and new in the joomla community. The opportunity to exchange ideas and learn from each other is always invaluable. Despite a busy schedule and not a huge amount of sleep we return home energised and buzzing with inspiration.
There were attendees from Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Guatemala, Holland, Italy, India, Indonesia, Namibia, Portugal, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, and probably some other places too. This is a great testament to the wide appeal of Joomla and the passion of it's diverse community.
Looking forward I think 2020 will be an exciting year for Joomla, with the release of version 4, J & beyond returning in May and lots of plans and ideas to get stuck into from the forum for the future. We must not forget that software is only limited by ambition and expectation, we, as the Joomla community, must step forward with an abundance of both.
More info about Joomla...
Some photos...
Credit: Richard Gosler for the group photo.