What do you do when your baby turns 20? Celebrate! That's what Brian Teeman, one of Joomla's founders, had in mind when he created Spread the Joomla Love, a website celebrating 20 years of Joomla. JCM interviews him: about the site, the community, what it means to be part of something bigger, and what spreading the Joomla love is about. 

Congratulations on launching Spread the Joomla Love! I love the idea of having a dedicated birthday website. Could you tell our readers what it's about?

Thank you! Spread the Joomla Love is my small way of celebrating 20 years of Joomla - something that's brought together people, ideas, and communities in ways no one could have imagined back in 2005.

It's a bit of a love letter, really. Twenty years of Joomla deserved more than just a tweet and a slice of cake. Spread the Joomla Love is a way for people to say, in 20 words, what Joomla means to them. No marketing fluff, no press releases - just honest, human words. The kind of thing you'd scribble in a card or mutter over a pint.

On the website, you say Joomla is more than just code - it's the community (and you say this in a very powerful and beautiful way). Since you're one of Joomla's founders, you've been in this community from the beginning. What does the Joomla Community mean to you?

You can write code in a weekend. A community takes years. Joomla started with a group of people standing up for what they believed in - freedom, openness, integrity.

The fact that we're still standing (even if some of us are a bit greyer) says it all, although sadly, a few have passed away over the years.

For me, the community is the soul of Joomla - messy, diverse, generous, and stronger for it.

So it's pretty clear Joomla wouldn't exist without its community. What is it you like most about the Joomla community?

The people. Simple as that. I've slept on contributors' sofas in four different continents. I've sat up till 3am with folks fixing bugs and arguing about semicolons.

It's the kind of camaraderie you can't manufacture. Everyone brings something - whether it's code, support, design, or just turning up to say, "thanks." That's rare. And it's precious.

What are we doing well?

We're still here. We're doing what we've always done well: staying true to ourselves. And that's no small thing in open source.

We've stayed true to our values - freedom, inclusivity, community-led development - when it would've been easier to compromise.

Joomla's not chasing trends or VC money. We're building something people can trust. And we're doing it without selling anyone's data, dignity, or soul.

And how could we grow - not just in numbers but as a whole?

By being more open to change. Joomla has always been about empowerment - giving people control of their websites, their data, their communities. 

But we need to empower new contributors too, and that means letting go of a bit of the old guard mentality. (I say this as part of the old guard.) That means mentoring, removing barriers, and recognising that leadership is about lifting others up. We need to make more space for new contributors - let them fail, let them fly - and not expect them to do things "the way we always have." 

The world's moved on - so should we.

Why do we all need to spread the Joomla love?

Because Joomla matters. Joomla gives people a voice without algorithms deciding who hears it. That's worth shouting about. 

If you've ever seen a local charity build a proper website on a shoestring - or small businesses in Ghana or NGOs in Bolivia get the chance to create something real without giving up their digital freedom - you know it matters. 

That deserves celebration.

How do you spread the Joomla love yourself?

Mostly by showing up. Writing, speaking, helping people one-on-one. Sometimes it's tweeting a snarky meme, sometimes it's fixing a typo in the docs. It all counts.

I'm the annoying bloke in the corner at any tech meetup or conference going, "Have you tried doing it in Joomla?" I once gave a talk at a tech event and handed out Yorkshire Tea bags and golf tees as swag.

Let's move to the tech part. Could you take us through the building process?

It's not going to make the cover of Wired, but I kept it lean. Built on Joomla 6, of course - lightweight, simple, and accessible. I used Cassiopeia, no fluff.

I wanted people to focus on the content. You don't need a mega-framework for a birthday card, do you?

What were the main challenges (if any)?

Convincing myself not to overengineer it. I have a tendency to faff about with design and functionality. I had to restrain myself from overcomplicating things. It's tempting to make everything slick, but I had to keep reminding myself: this isn't about code - it's about connection.

Which part(s) of it are you most proud of?

That people actually used it! When the first messages started coming in from folks saying it reminded them why they joined Joomla in the first place… I'll admit, I got a bit emotional. It's easy to forget how global Joomla is until the messages roll in and you realise how many lives it's touched.

Yes, I was coming to that: on the site, everyone can share what Joomla means to them, in 20 words. What's it like for you to read all this, as a founding father?

Humbling. Emotional. I don't think any of us back in 2005 could have predicted this. It's like watching your kid grow up and realising they've become something even better than you hoped. It reminds me that Joomla isn't just lines of PHP - it's stories, people, moments.

You've also found songs about Joomla. Which one is your favourite and why?

"Share A Piece Of You" by joomfreak with Daniel Rothman. It's joyful, it's from the heart, and it captures the spirit of what Joomla means to so many - especially in places we rarely hear from. I remember hearing it and thinking, "Well, that's it - we've made it. We've got our own song." I don't think many other bits of software have a reggae tribute, do they?

If I had asked you 20 years ago what Joomla would be in 2025, what would you have answered?

Honestly? I would've said it wouldn't last that long. Not because I didn't believe in it - but because few open source projects do. Starting Joomla felt like setting sail in a dinghy, hoping the sharks were distracted. But here we are. Battle scars and all.

How would you describe Joomla's first two decades?

Wild. Democratic. Frequently exhausting. Hugely rewarding. We've had highs, lows, delays, rewrites, flame wars, hugs, beers, and one particularly memorable J-Factor talent show in Prague. Wouldn't change it for the world. We've made mistakes, sure. But we've always tried to do what's right - not what's easy.

Where would you say we stand right now?

At a pivot point. The CMS landscape has changed. But Joomla's foundations - freedom, flexibility, and community - still stand strong. Joomla still has a unique voice.

What do you wish for Joomla in the next 20 years?

That it continues to put people first. That we don't forget the ideals we were founded on. That we stay weird. That we don't sell out. That someone, somewhere, keeps the flame alive.

Would you encourage people to make a birthday celebration website as well? Why (or why not)?

Yes! The more the merrier. Your celebration doesn't have to be a website. Bake a Joomla cake. Make a video. Crochet a logo. Just don't sit on the sidelines.

Anything else we should have asked?

Maybe: Why the hell are you still doing this after 20 years?

And I'd say: because Joomla still matters. Because it still changes lives. And because community-led open source is worth fighting for. It gave me friends in places I couldn't find on a map. That kind of thing's worth sticking around for.

Author's note: do you want to tell the world what Joomla means to you? Head over to https://spreadthejoomlalove.com and add your 20 words!