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Welcome to the Deep Dive. Today, we're going deep, deep, deep into the world of open source

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software.

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How exciting.

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Specifically, content management systems, CMS, as the cool kids call them, and their

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impact on government websites, of all things.

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Okay, yeah. Governments and websites.

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We've got a whole bunch of articles and blog posts here from CMS Garden. They're big advocates

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for open source, especially when it comes to, well, the government's digital life.

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Makes sense.

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So, okay, let's break this down. Open source software, what is it? What's the big deal?

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It's all just like ones and zeros in the end, right?

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Well, it's a bit more interesting than that, I'd say. Imagine a community garden.

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Okay.

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Which is actually quite fitting because it's an analogy CMS Garden offers.

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I like it. A digital garden.

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Yeah, exactly. So instead of keeping the recipe secret, so to speak, the code is out there,

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and for anyone to use, change, even improve.

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I see, I see.

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And that right there, that's a game changer, especially for something as, well, crucial

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as a government website.

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Okay, I get it. So instead of one big company controlling everything, it's more like everyone

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brings their best dish to the table, like a potluck.

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Exactly. And that collaborative spirit, it's really at the heart of it all, and it brings

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so many benefits. For starters, you get transparency.

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Transparency, right.

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If anyone can see how the software works, then there's the flexibility because you can

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adapt it to your specific needs, and often it ends up being much more affordable, especially

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for governments, I'd imagine.

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That makes a lot of sense. But how does this open source thing actually work in the real

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world? I mean, are there actual governments out there embracing this whole open source

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thing?

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Oh, absolutely.

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Because let's be real, sometimes governments and technology, it's like they're speaking

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completely different languages.

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Oh, yeah, I've been there. But that's what makes this case study so interesting. CMS

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Garten, they were actually involved with the German government.

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No way.

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Who made the decision to switch their official CMS to Taiwan P03.

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Wow, really?

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Which is an open source system.

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The entire German government, that's huge.

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It is a big deal. And it wasn't just a random decision. They had this whole public money

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public code campaign.

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Okay, I've heard of that.

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Having this idea that, look, if taxpayer money is going towards building software.

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It should be open.

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It should be accessible to everyone.

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Yeah.

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It's a powerful statement.

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It is. So CMS Garten was actually involved in advising the German government on this.

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That's pretty impressive.

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It shows they're not just talking the talk, they're walking the walk.

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They're bringing their expertise to the table, helping governments navigate this whole world

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of open source and make informed decisions.

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So it sounds like this whole move to open source CMS, it's a win-win situation, right?

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Potentially.

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More transparency, maybe even lower costs for taxpayers.

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But are there any downsides?

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Because there's no such thing as a free lunch, right?

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You're absolutely right.

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There are always challenges.

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One of the big ones that CMS Garten points out is, well, the constant need for development

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and security updates.

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Just because the software is open source doesn't mean that it's magically immune to bugs.

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Or vulnerabilities.

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That's true.

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And I bet not everyone is as diligent as they should be when it comes to actually keeping

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things updated.

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Exactly.

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In fact, they actually cite a rather alarming statistic.

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Nearly 30% of websites out there are running on outdated versions of their CMS.

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Seriously.

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Which makes them so vulnerable to attacks.

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30%.

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That's like leaving your front door unlocked just because you think you live in a safe neighborhood.

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So how do we even begin to encourage people, especially governments, to prioritize these

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updates?

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Because, I mean, I'm imagining with these big institutions, it's not as simple as just

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clicking the update now button.

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You are absolutely right.

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It's a whole lot more complex.

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You have budgets, approvals, and sometimes, honestly, just a lack of awareness about the

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risks involved.

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That makes sense.

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But this is where CMS gardens work.

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It's really, really interesting.

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They're involved in this fascinating project called Follow the Money.

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Follow the Money.

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Now that sounds intriguing.

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Tell me more.

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What's that all about?

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Just imagine a world where you could see every single piece of software your government's

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using.

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How much it costs, even how secure it is.

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That's what Follow the Money is all about.

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Radical transparency.

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Okay.

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I'm getting some serious sunlight is the best disinfectant vibes here, but how do they even

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keep track of all of that?

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I mean, it's not like governments are posting their software receipts online, are they?

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Not quite.

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Although that would be interesting, wouldn't it?

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What's really smart about this project is they're taking all this publicly available

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information and they're combining it with some really cool tech tools, like a digital

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detective.

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A digital detective.

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Okay.

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That is a catchy job title.

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I'll give you that.

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So spill the tea.

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What's in this detective's toolkit?

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Well, they're using platforms like Wikidata for starters, just to gather basic info about

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government websites.

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When they use this tool, it's called VersionManager.io.

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Now stay with me here.

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Okay.

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Okay.

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This tool helps them figure out which version of what CMS, you know, each website is running.

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Oh, wow.

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They even check for accessibility using this thing called the Lighthouse Framework.

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Wow.

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That's pretty comprehensive.

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It is.

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And all of this, all of this gets fed into a system called Directus, which you can think

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of as like the detective's evidence board.

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It's where all the clues come together.

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So they're like piecing together the DNA of a website.

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Exactly.

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And what kind of insights are they getting from all this detective work?

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What's the, what's the dirt?

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Some pretty interesting stuff.

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For one thing, they found that a whopping 70% of the websites they looked at were using

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open source CMS.

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70%.

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That's, that's amazing.

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Go open source.

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But what about the other 30%?

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What's hiding in the shadows?

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Well, that's where things get a little, well, a little concerning.

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While they don't actually name specific proprietary systems, they did find that almost 30% of those

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websites, even the ones using open source CMS, were running outdated and potentially vulnerable

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versions.

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Remember that statistic we talked about earlier?

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Oh yeah.

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This project is seeing it play out in the real world.

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Yikes.

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That's like having a top notch security system, but forgetting to actually, you know, set

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the alarm.

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Kind of makes you wonder if governments aren't even keeping their software up to date, what

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else might be slipping through the cracks.

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Right.

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Makes you think.

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It does.

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It does.

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So what's next for Follow the Money?

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Are they going global with this whole digital detective agency?

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What's the plan?

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They've got big plans.

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They're talking about refining the prototype, adding in even more government domains.

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They even want to like collaborate internationally to make it a more global thing.

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So like a global watch list.

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But instead of like shady individuals, it's vulnerable websites.

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That's kind of cool actually.

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Okay.

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So we've been talking a lot about government.

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We have.

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But open source obviously goes way beyond that, right?

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What about like other companies, organizations that are using and importantly contributing

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back to this whole open source world?

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I mean, it's a two way street, right?

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100%.

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Yeah.

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And there's been this fascinating debate going on in the WordPress community.

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Ooh, WordPress.

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That kind of highlights this very issue.

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Okay.

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Yeah.

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WordPress, they're like the Beyonce of content management systems, right?

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Pretty much.

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Everybody knows them.

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They're everywhere.

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What a drama.

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Well, there's been some tension, right, between WordPress.org, which is the nonprofit behind

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the software, and WP Engine, which is this big hosting provider.

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And it really all comes down to contributions, giving back to the open source community.

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And a difference in philosophy, I'd say, WordPress.org, they want everyone to do their part, to keep

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the ecosystem healthy and thriving.

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While WP Engine, like many hosting providers, they benefit a lot from this open source model.

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But they're not necessarily contributing back at the same level.

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And things really came to a head when WordPress.org decided to actually block automatic updates

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for WP Engine customers.

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Wait, they blocked updates?

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That seems, I don't know, kind of a drastic move, isn't it?

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Don't we want all websites, especially government ones, to be as secure as possible?

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You think so, right.

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With this move by WordPress.org, it was strategic.

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It was about shining a spotlight on a much bigger issue, this idea that if you benefit

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from open source, you have to contribute back in a meaningful way.

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It's about making sure the whole ecosystem is sustainable for long haul.

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It's kind of like a wake up call, isn't it?

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We get so used to all the great things about open source, the flexibility, how affordable

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it is.

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It's easy to forget that it's the community effort that really makes it all happen.

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You're so right.

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It really is.

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It's like anything else we value, it needs care, it needs attention, and yeah, it needs

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a little bit of financial support too to really thrive.

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This isn't just about the big companies like WP Engine.

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This applies to everyone who uses and benefits from open source software, which is, let's

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be honest, most of us.

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What can we do?

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I mean, I'm just one person listening to this.

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I'm not a coding whiz, and I definitely don't have millions of dollars just lying around

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to donate.

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What kind of impact can I actually make?

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That's the amazing thing about it.

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There are so many ways to contribute, no matter your skills, even your financial situation.

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You can start by simply spreading the word.

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Tell your friends, tell your family, tell your coworkers about why open source is important.

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Support the companies that give back to the community.

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Seriously, every little bit makes a difference.

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It's like that community garden analogy, right?

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Whether you're planting seeds, watering the plants, or even just enjoying how beautiful

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it is, your participation matters.

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100%.

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Hey, if you do happen to be tech savvy, even if you're just starting out, there are tons

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of projects out there that would love your help.

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You can improve documentation, report bugs, stuff like that.

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These things might seem small, but they're actually super valuable to the community.

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As we wrap up this deep dive, what's the main takeaway here?

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It seems like open source software, especially when it comes to government, has this incredible

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potential to bring more transparency, more security, even more efficiency.

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It's a movement worth paying attention to, wouldn't you say?

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Absolutely.

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And it's bigger than just government or technology even.

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It's really about changing how we think about knowledge, about collaboration, about doing

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good for everyone.

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Open source at its heart is about empowering people by sharing and creating a future that's

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more equitable and accessible for everyone.

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That's a powerful thought.

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It's like a breath of fresh air, especially in today's digital world.

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It really is.

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So the next time you're on a website or downloading an app, even just liking a post online, take

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a second to think about the software behind it all.

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Is it open source?

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Is there a whole community driving it?

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And if so, how can you, in your own way, contribute to its growth?

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We've seen how open source CMS can bring more transparency to those government websites.

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But what about other sectors?

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Could we use this model for healthcare, education, maybe even private companies?

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What would that look like?

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And what new challenges might come up?

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Wow, that's a fantastic question.

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And honestly, that deserves its own deep dive.

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Maybe another time.

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Something to think about.

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Well, that's all the time we have for this deep dive.

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We've gone deep, deep, deep into this world of open source, unpacked all the potential

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of these content management systems, and hopefully, you know, spark some curiosity along the way.

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Until next time, keep those minds open and those digital gardens growing.