CKEditor to be default for Drupal 8

The developers of the open source web-based CKEditor package have announced that their software has been chosen as the default rich-text input method for the upcoming Drupal 8. The popular open source content management system (CMS) traditionally did not include a default editor and instead allowed users to integrate a variety of tools through a plugin architecture.

After first announcing a switch to Aloha Editor, Drupal founder Dries Buytaert has now elected to go with CKEditor after its main developer "reached out to offer whatever support he can to make CKEditor and Drupal work together better". Buytaert also said that he sees CKEditor as having a more mature API and ecosystem.

The developers of CKEditor expressed their excitement at their project being picked as the default editor for Drupal 8 and said they expect the inclusion in Drupal to greatly increase the editor's user base. The team has already begun implementing changes requested by Buytaert and the Drupal team, such as improved accessibility support for inline editing. Widgets and advanced data control are among the features expected in CKEditor 4.1, which is due to be released on 12 February.

The release of Drupal 8 is expected to take place later in 2013, with earlier delays causing this date to have been pushed back from the original plan. Drupal is one of the most popular open source content management systems and is being used professionally by a large number of companies. Drupal is used for, among others, the official web sites of the White House and musician Bob Dylan.

(fab)