About Me: 

Hello! My name is Sunit Gala and I'm the founder of Blisstering Solutions. Been tracking Drupal since 2005, first attempted project in 2006, and Drupal-only since 2007. We've been delivering headless Drupal solutions since 2010. We excel in delivering enterprise class multi-channel solutions: web, native mobile, voice, IVR, sms. We believe Drupal 8 is a significant step forward, and the first step to move Drupal to being more than just a web CMS. Specifically, we've been using Drupal as an application server, and would love to see the product evolve more in that direction. 

I've got a Ph.D. in computer stuff, and my professional background is enterprise software. Have worked at large companies such as Oracle and have invested in or co-founded 12 startups over the past couple decades. Most of them died yet hope springs eternal :-).

You can read a little more about me at www.linkedin.com/in/sunitgala

Other than work, I love my two boys: 12 years old (going on 21 -- what's with second borns? :-)), and 16 years old (he's an athlete -- 6 ft tall already!). I enjoy family and friends, and sleep as much as I can :-). Generally well-informed; left of center in case that matters.

Should you have any more questions or would like more detail, just ask!

Questions for the Candidate

Jeff Veit’s picture
Jeff Veit:
Comment: 

What practical steps do you think you can implement as a Director At Large that will move Drupal towards being more of an application server? How do you think this can help smaller installations?

sunitgala’s picture
sunitgala:
Comment: 

Hi Jeff,

Thanks for writing to me. I'm happy to get on a call with you if you like -- will be easier to explain why this is important.

Here are a few practical steps that I expect to influence the board:

  1. Continue to push for "API first" development -- for instance, EVERY module needs to have an API before it can be contributed back.
  2. Help with evangelizing the messaging and positioning to help push Drupal into the enterprise by becoming plumbing. Else we risk being relegated to the same status as Joomla, only more complicated to use.
  3. Help create a bounty to develop specific capabilities which drive Drupal towards becoming an app server.

The second aspect regarding smaller installations is that given what Drupal already does, it remains useful for smaller enterprises. It is true that the way we do theming, etc., has changed again. Having said that, a VERY important goal I have is to insist that Drupal maintain "upward compatiblity" and not drastically change the way things are done. For instance, upgrade paths need to include not just back-end configurations and data, but also themes -- similar to how Oracle or SQL Server do upgrades from one version to the next.

Make sense?

I look forward to hearing your thoughts. The best way to reach me is sunit.gala@blisstering.com because I did not see this message here and got no notification from d.o -- will have to check my settings. :P

Jeff Veit’s picture
Jeff Veit:
Comment: 

Thank you for your reply,

I do think it's important to explain your ideas and position in public, rather than talking over skype or email, so I encourage others to add their questions here, but perhaps email to say that you have.

The role of the Association is to support Drupal, but since "The Drupal Association has no authority over the planning, functionality and development of the Drupal software" is a key aspect, I'm not sure how the board could mandate API first, aside from the thousands of modules which make tiny changes, for which an API is overkill.

Similarly, there is no way the Association can insist on upward compatibility. Nor is it ever possible to herd volunteer developer cats.

Regarding the app server - what projects would you want to support towards this?

sunitgala’s picture
sunitgala:
Comment: 

Hi Jeff,

I agree about transparency and sharing thoughts in public. For some reason, I'm not getting notifications and my settings on d.o are to send me a note -- didn't find anything in the spam folder either. Anyways.

The board may not mandate as per rules. It's something we can and should push for, especially on the API front. The goal is to have good quality modules, and not just focus on quantity. Clearly, that's just my opinion, and a case can be made with equal rigor in the other direction. APIs are a must if we want to see Drupal get embedded in other products, in a manner similar to how the Oracle database gets embedded in numerous products (just one example).

And for similar reasons, upward compatibility is key. The community needs to decide whether we want to expand Drupal's foorprint at little/no cost to the existing developer base, or risk fragmentation -- have you heard of Jen Lampton's project?

There are many features which an App Server needs but are missing in Drupal. A few include high availability, failover, ability to scale up or scale out, and so on. Another vector is to create connectors to software that already exists in the Enterprise IT stack, such as Oracle, SAP, Microsoft Dynamics, etc. I'd like input from the community on which set of capabilties to push first. Upward compatibility and API-first are also key for an app server -- without those two, the concept is DOA.

Make sense?

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