Dries Buytaert

Today is Drupal's 10th birthday. Drupal 1.0.0 was released on January 15, 2001. Now, ten years later, we've just released Drupal 7: our best, most flexible, and most user-friendly version yet. After ten years, we haven't lost any momentum.

It's amazing to look back and see how far we've come. To see how much drupal.org and its associated sites have changed and evolved is exciting. To see that we have an active Drupal Association with a paid staff dedicated to the project is wonderful. Drupal, ten years in, has officially become a phenomenon.

Ten years ago, I had no idea that Drupal would become what it has today or that it would become such a large part of my life. And yet, I'm as passionate about Drupal now as I was then. I know in my gut that it seems that we have reached a critical mass of momentum that feels unstoppable. I also know that I'm as committed to this project and to this community now more than ever.

I also know — and this part is the most important — that Drupal is not only about software. The software is just the tangible byproduct of something much more greater; the community. You are the key variable in this equation, and you are the reason for Drupal's success. The value of Drupal is that, as a community, we've become greater than the sum of our parts.

For your work over the last ten years, in making Drupal what it is today, I thank you all. For your future work, over the next ten years, I thank you in advance. Happy 10th birthday, Drupal!