The first Drupal 8 Beta release is now within reach. The list of open beta blockers is getting shorter and shorter, and more and more Contrib modules are also well on their way. Our anticipation is growing at least as rapidly as the development in and around Drupal 8 is progressing. Two weeks ago, the time had finally come and we were able to implement our first client project on Drupal 8.
Drupal 8 in Project Use
Recently, we implemented a selfie competition for Peugeot Austria. The goal was to promote the new Peugeot 308 and 308 SW, provide information about the parallel roadshow, and make the Car of the Year known to the general public. By uploading a selfie to www.peugeotselfie.at, participants could win a weekend with one of the two cars, along with a hotel voucher. Since the features required for the project could largely be implemented without issues using modules and APIs already included in Core, we opted for implementation with Drupal 8.
Is Drupal 8 really "ready" for production use?
As a rule, this question would probably still be answered in the negative. However, the answer depends heavily on the available resources and the team's experience with Drupal 8, as well as the specific task. Especially for less extensive projects, it is quite legitimate to consider Drupal 8 now. In most cases, the absence of many modules might still present too great a hurdle.
Panels and Page Manager are (still) missing
Modules from our standard repertoire, such as Panels and Page Manager, are particularly missed. Some of the functionalities of these modules were originally intended to be covered as part of the SCOTCH initiative. Although the "Block" system in Drupal Core has seen several improvements compared to Drupal 7, such as "Custom Block Types," the failure of this initiative currently leaves a significant gap. However, there is also reason for hope here: both Page Manager and other modules have since been picked up in Contrib and are developing well.
We help wherever we can
The success of Drupal 8 is particularly important to us. Therefore, we actively participate in the further development of Drupal 8 and various initiatives such as #d8rules for porting essential modules like Rules or Page Manager. For us, participating in regular international codesprints and contributing to Drupal Core itself is a given, especially since this commitment also offers a unique opportunity for our team's professional development.
