Hi hoZt,

We will be updating to 7 -- we just need to make sure the many sites already running on Buzzr will still be supported. So, all the modules we're using needed to be safely ported over. And 7 has to be battle-tested enough so we know it will scale safely. Our best guess is that this will be Q1 of 2011. That's the scoop 'm getting from webchick (Angie Byron.)

The layout/widget tool wouldn't really work too well as a standalone module -- it's really tightly integrated to the rest of Buzzr. So, while a module isn't too likely, I am really interested in doing a distribution one of these days. We bought Buzzr.org at the same time we bought Buzzr.com.

We've applied for a grant that would help make this possible. Why a grant, you say? Because a good distribution requires a community manager and a maintainer.

We would want to involve the community in contributing code, UI, and helping quash bugs. Buzzr code base is huge. So doing Buzzr as a well-maintained distribution with a community at the center, means having a couple of heavy-duty Drupal folks working full time on the project. It's a lot more complicated than just running a commercial product, where we can make all these decisions with a small circle of staff. And we'd have to coordinate the two projects very closely.

And if Buzzr starts making enough money, we'll pay for these extra staff ourselves.

If you have an idea about how to make this happen faster, let me know! I think it's also possible that a large organization might invest enough in a white label version of Buzzr that we'll be able to jump-start a distribution from there. And, of course, there's always VC funding, which we've avoided to date.