Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Menu
Search
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Applications
    • Applications
    • Cloud

    What the History of Photography Teaches the Cloud

    By
    Sean Michael Kerner
    -
    June 4, 2014
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin
      Dries Buytaert

      It took more than 100 years of evolution for the modern photography industry to reach its current state, and there are lessons from that century that apply to the modern world of cloud and Web development too. That’s the message delivered by Dries Buytaert, founder of the open-source Drupal content management system (CMS), during his keynote address at the Drupalcon conference June 3 in Austin, Texas.

      Drupal is one of the most widely deployed content management systems on the planet and counts big-name deployments including WhiteHouse.gov among its users. Buytaert (pictured) is also the CTO of Acquia, a company he helped to create that delivers commercial support and solutions based on Drupal. Acquia closed a $50 million funding round on May 27, bringing total funding to date up to $118.6 million.

      Buytaert noted that the first camera in history over 100 years ago was big, bulky and very difficult to use, with a complex process to actually take a picture. Within a few short years of the first camera, the Kodak company came out with a camera that made the technology easier to use.

      “They [Kodak] had this notion that, ‘You press the button and we do the rest,'” Buytaert said. “It encapsulates how they simplified photography.”

      Over the course of 100 years, Buytaert explained, photography and cameras were simplified drastically in a number of phases. The introduction of 35mm photography provided a form of standardization to the industry that also made things simpler for users.

      “The industry standardized on a common format and, as a result, there was a whole ecosystem born of different cameras and tools to project photos,” Buytaert said.

      Camera users of the 20th century needed to load, process and develop film, adding layers of complexity for users—until the introduction of the Polaroid in the 1970s. Polaroid provided users with instant photographs, further simplifying the process of photography.

      The introduction of digital cameras in the late 1990s went a step further by removing the need for film. And with the introduction of the Apple iPhone in 2007 and other smartphones, photography was once again optimized, by enabling users to easily share their photos.

      “If you look at the history of the camera, you see that every single iteration of the camera essentially replaced one or more steps,” Buytaert said. “Over more than 100 years, we were able to simplify this huge process.”

      Buytaert emphasized that there is relevance in how modern photography and cameras have evolved to the modern world of cloud and his own Drupal content management system. In looking back at the evolution of photography, it was ease of use that was the driving force for change. However, while ease of use decreased for the end user, the complexity under the hood actually increased, he noted.

      When it comes to the Web, Buytaert sees a similar evolution of usability and functionality taking place.

      “First, we needed to invent HTML and the Web browser, and that gave birth to the static Web,” Buytaert said.

      The initial era of the static Web was followed by the era of the dynamic Web, fueled in part by technologies like PHP, MySQL, Apache and Linux that enabled more dynamic content. The Drupal CMS, which was first released in 2001, is a product of the dynamic Web revolution and has helped to enable what Buytaert refers to as the “assembled” Web.

      In the assembled Web, there are modules, themes and Web services all packaged together in a technology platform that is easier to deploy and use than trying to assemble the constituent components individually.

      In Buytaert’s view, the next step in the evolution of the Internet is the “experience” Web—providing a platform that is more tailored to user experiences. That’s the direction he’s pointing Drupal toward for release 8 of the CMS, which is in development.

      While it took 100 years of evolution for the camera to reach its current state, the path to Drupal 8, isn’t likely as long. Buytaert has been talking about Drupal 8 since 2011, which is when Drupal 7 was officially released. The basic premise is that it will provide a more semantic and responsive platform for Web content and enable the experience Web. Drupal 8 is still in active development, and Buytaert noted that, as of June 2, there are still 15 beta blockers in the code preventing a beta release. His expectation is that Drupal 8 should be generally available by the middle of 2015.

      In Buytaert’s view, the promise of Drupal 8 is that it is an opportunity to rethink what the experience of things online should be and how Drupal can help accomplish that.

      “As we’ve shown with the camera, it’s all about simplifying the experience over time,” Buytaert said. “Under the hood, things might get more complex, but ultimately we need to think about the experience for the end user.”

      Sean Michael Kerner is a senior editor at eWEEK and InternetNews.com. Follow him on Twitter @TechJournalist.

      Sean Michael Kerner
      Sean Michael Kerner is an Internet consultant, strategist, and contributor to several leading IT business web sites.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Android

      Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro: Durability for Tough...

      Chris Preimesberger - December 5, 2020 0
      Have you ever dropped your phone, winced and felt the pain as it hit the sidewalk? Either the screen splintered like a windshield being...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Why Data Security Will Face Even Harsher...

      Chris Preimesberger - December 1, 2020 0
      Who would know more about details of the hacking process than an actual former career hacker? And who wants to understand all they can...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      How Veritas Is Shining a Light Into...

      eWEEK EDITORS - September 25, 2020 0
      Protecting data has always been one of the most important tasks in all of IT, yet as more companies become data companies at the...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      How NVIDIA A100 Station Brings Data Center...

      Zeus Kerravala - November 18, 2020 0
      There’s little debate that graphics processor unit manufacturer NVIDIA is the de facto standard when it comes to providing silicon to power machine learning...
      Read more
      Apple

      Why iPhone 12 Pro Makes Sense for...

      Wayne Rash - November 26, 2020 0
      If you’ve been watching the Apple commercials for the past three weeks, you already know what the company thinks will happen if you buy...
      Read more

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×