TYPO3 Talk with Alex : Pioneer of TYPO3 Powermail Extension

Hi, I think that some of you might already know me under the Twitter account @einpraegsam or in real live. On the one hand I am one of two managing directors at in2code GmbH, on the other hand I’m a software developer and, last but not least, an open source fanboy.

Phew, I think I saw TYPO3 3.6 back then and started with 3.7 myself. I can still remember that you could change the design in the backend using a layout extension. That was also one of the first things I did - as if there was nothing more important :)

In the past I have contributed a lot myself in forums with help and answers. Incidentally, sometimes I still find old answers from myself when I google for TypoScript problems. In the meantime, however, that has changed a bit. As COO of in2code, I make sure that we as a company advance open source. We support many events with sponsorship, are platinum sponsors in the TYPO3 Association and support with contributions (at events or with blog posts). We are currently setting up a program in which we as a company want to support individual open source developers financially. The fact that we are serious about open source can also be seen in the vision we are striving for: www.in2code.de/en/the-in2code-gmbh/open-source-matters/ But my love for building extensions has remained. Hopefully it will always stay that way.

One of the biggest challenges is still that the idea has taken root in the TYPO3 world that extensions should be free. No matter how hot a new extension is, earning money with it has always been rather difficult. Other communities (e.g. in the eCommerce sector) have done this much better then we did.

TYPO3 has not always had it easy. It wasn't that long ago when it was unclear whether the TYPO3 CMS would continue at all or whether it would be better to use NEOS or another alternative. As a company, we have firmly supported TYPO3 and have never regretted this decision. All in all, I am very satisfied with the general development of the system. TYPO3 manages the balancing act between modern technology and backward compatibility again and again. I don't know of any other similarly old open source project in the web area that does it so well.

Volker Graubaum has a great vision of how TYPO3 can go into a modern future. I don't want to anticipate too much here, but in principle the point is that TYPO3 is not just about a core with small essays but about an entire ecosystem. In principle, extensions are just as much a part of it as what is contributed by the core developers. You should ask Volker for more details.

This is a very good question. Even if we now receive contributions from all over the world - and fortunately now increasingly from India too, TYPO3 is viewed as "Made in Europe". From a global perspective, this is a bit of a downside compared to "innovative American software". We should turn this disadvantage into an advantage. I think we need to talk more about the clear benefits (USP) of TYPO3. Do you want a CMS in the enterprise or b2b area that is maximally secure and also implements the highest data protection standards? Then you just can't get past TYPO3.

There are some things that could be modernized in the code base. Things like TCA or the TypoScriptFrontendController come to mind. Still, I believe that the success of a product does not depend directly on the code. We should probably spend more time on marketing and scream out what TYPO3 is already doing really well. There are also a lot of old and well-known things like the side tree in the backend, multilingualism or multi-client capability that is still unknown in the wide CMS world.

I think the offer of a TYPO3 marketplace is more than overdue, so I welcome your website. Such a service would be nice if it were supported directly by TYPO3. In addition to its official character, we might finally get into people's heads that software is valuable.

I also find that an interesting question. Using PHP was probably right and important in the beginning. While TypoScript was seen as a major barrier to entry, the term "PHP" has repelled fewer people. After all, PHP is easy to learn and use.

As mentioned above, topics such as multilingualism, security and stability are essential in the segment in which we offer websites. If we were to build small websites, we would probably not be using TYPO3. Of course you can think about how you can use TYPO3 faster and with less effort - and there are already some interesting efforts ... But I believe that we should compare ourselves more with similar systems and not also Wordpress and Co. have to groan afterwards ;)

In order not to miss anything, I especially follow these Twitter accounts: @bennimack, @multanifx, @richardhaeser, @spooner_web and of course @ in2code_de :)

Unfortunately, the sources of information are widely distributed on the Internet. There is no central point of contact that offers everything. For me, Twitter, Slack and of course Stackoverflow turned out to be the best. So I stay up to date.

Absolutely. Everyone is welcome! It doesn't matter whether you can code, draw graphics or create videos or anything else. TYPO3 needs you to move forward!

In my free time I like to go fishing. As the worst angler in the world I hardly ever catch anything, but standing in the great outdoors and not being surrounded by bits and bytes is a real compensation.