Harald Welte

Infobox Person

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image_size = 220px
birth_date = 1979
residence = Berlin, Germany
nationality = German
occupation = Programmer
website = http://gnumonks.org/~laforge/weblog/

Harald Welte (born 1979) is a programmer resident in Berlin, Germany. Within the free software community, Welte is well known as a hacker of the Linux kernel and for his activities in enforcing the GNU General Public License (GPL), the license that governs the use of much of free software.

Welte is also involved in a number of free software projects, such as OpenMoko, (a version of Linux for completely open, low-cost, high-volume phones) and the netfilter/iptables project (the core firewall mechanism in Linux-based firewall computers and routing devices). He is an active member of the Chaos Computer Club.

Linux kernel development

Until 2007, Welte was the chairman of the core team responsible for the netfilter/iptables project. [ cite web | url = http://www.netfilter.org/about.html#history | title = Project history | work = About the netfilter/iptables project ] He is also credited with writing the "UUCP over SSL how-to", and contributions to User-mode Linux and international encryption kernel projects, among others.

GPL enforcement

Welte has become prominent for his work with gpl-violations.org - an organisation he set up in 2004 [ cite web | url = http://www.ftd.de/div/epaper/index.html | title = Software-Harald gegen Goliath] to track down and prosecute violators of the GPL, which had been untested in court until then.

Openmoko

Welte was Lead System Architect for OpenMoko, a project to create a smartphone platform using free software. [ cite web | url = http://www.linuxdevices.com/news/NS2986976174.html | title = Cheap, hackable Linux smartphone due soon ] It uses the Linux kernel, together with a graphical user environment built using X.Org Server, Matchbox window manager and the Novell Evolution email client. The OpenEmbedded build framework and ipkg package management system are used to create and maintain software packages.

However in 2007, Welte announced his withdrawal from Openmoko, citing internal friction and demotivation. He continues to contribute as a volunteer to the project. [ cite web | url = http://gnumonks.org/~laforge/weblog/2007/11/16#20071116-leaving_openmoko | title = Leaving Openmoko "Lead System Architect" position | work = Harald Welte's blog ]

Awards in 2008

On 2008-03-19, the Free Software Foundation (FSF) announced that it had awarded the Award for the Advancement of Free Software for 2007 to Welte [ cite web | url = http://www.fsf.org/news/2007_free_software_awards | title = Harald Welte and Groklaw announced as winners of the FSF's annual free software awards] , stating that "The awards committee honored both Welte's technical contributions to projects like the Linux kernel and the OpenMoko mobile platform project, and his community leadership in safeguarding the freedom of free software users by successfully enforcing the GNU General Public License in over one hundred cases since the gpl-violations.org project began in 2004."

On 2008-07-22, Welte received the "Defender of Rights" Open Source Award, presented to him by Chris DiBona, who indicated the award was primarily for Welte's work on gpl-violations.org.

VIA

On 2008-07-25, VIA Technologies appointed Harald Welte as its open source liaison. According to VIA, in his role as open source liason Welte will be responsible for helping refine VIA’s open source strategy and optimise its support for Linux.

Welte will also "“assist VIA to develop drivers that are in line with the standards and best practices of Linux kernel development, enhance the quality and public availability of VIA documentation, and improve interaction with the open source development community”". [ cite web | url = http://www.tectonic.co.za/?p=2701 | title = VIA hires OSS sharp shooter | work = Tectonic ]

Notes

References

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External links

* [http://gnumonks.org/~laforge/weblog/ Harald Welte's blog]
* [http://www.groklaw.net/articlebasic.php?story=20060626155526285 Interview at the 3rd international GPLv3 conference] , June 22nd 2006
* [http://fsfeurope.org/projects/gplv3/barcelona-summaries#drm Audio and video of a panel discussion including Welte] , June 23rd 2006
* [http://lwn.net/Articles/186944/ Interview in LWN.net] , June 12, 2006
* [http://under-linux.org/wiki/index.php/Entrevistas/Harald-Welte-english Interview at under-linux.org]
* [http://chaosradio.ccc.de/cre042.html Personal interview with Harald Welte about Openmoko (German-speaking)]
* [http://www.golem.de/0406/31852.html Interview with Harald Welte about gpl-violations.org (German)] , June 22, 2004
* [http://advice.cio.com/harald_welte_the_free_and_open_source_foss_enforcer_speaks_podcast Podcast at CIO.com]