13 years ago on this day, the core Mambo development team in a letter to the community announced its intention to fork away from the Mambo project. This letter was the seed that led to Joomla becoming a reality. However the name Joomla was not announced till the 1st of September 2005. It was a time of change. Head to these early posts on the Joomla forums to be transported back to 2005 ! So there could be some controversy on when is Joomla's birthday really ? 17th August or 1st September ? I'll let you decide :)
Since 2005 Joomla has come a long way. Today it powers an entire Industry and provides thousands of jobs to people world wide. It has truly been a change maker on a massive scale.
Personally for us, it has been central to our growth and strategy over the years. When Joomla was born, I was still in college using Mambo for some Non profit work with my partner Ashwin. When we started our first company in 2006 Joomla ! Was our CMS of choice. Joomla literally has been central to our story since the very inception and it remains one of our core offerings to this date. We had published Our Joomla Story back in 2010 when Joomla completed 5 years.
Joomla's Birthday's have always been a time for me to not just celebrate but also reflect on where we are and where we would want to go next. As a community and as a Software. So come 2016, I wrote another article personifying Joomla on the Joomla community Magazine asking us as parents to literally 'Grow Up' and work together . You can read it here Joomla Speaks out on its 10th Birthday. And hey its been working so far !
As Joomla completes 13 years today I think its time again for us - the community to reflect on where we are today & where we want to go next. I did a lot of that when I published the Sustainable Eco System for Joomla after quite a lot of research, reflection & user interactions. So while I am not going to say anything new today, I would like you the community to have a read and give your feedback. And even more importantly help action it by helping in any way you can !
Lets Celebrate !
While you reflect and get nostalgic, do not forget to celebrate ! Join us in a Social Media campaign to Wish Joomla Happy Birthday. Tweet your birthday wishes with the hashtags #joomlabirthday #jbirthday and #ilovejoomla . Let's get the most innovative greetings out there :) Here are a few ideas ! Be Loud and Proud ! Go Joomla !
P.S. Thanks Sandra & the Joomla Marketing team for the cover image !