VIA Technologies further strengthened its support for open source software today by appointing Harald Welte as its open source liaison.
Welte, founder of gpl-violations.org and recipient of the Free Software Foundation’s “2007 Award for the Advancement of Free Software,” will be responsible for refining VIA's open source strategy.
The newly-appointed liaison will be responsible for optimising VIA's support for Linux across all the components of its x86 processor platforms, including its C7 processor line and the new Nano processor, as well as accompanying chipsets, graphics, and networking chips.
In addition, Welte will "assist VIA to develop drivers that are in line with the standards and best practises of Linux kernel development, enhance the quality and public availability of VIA documentation, and improve interaction with the Open Source development community."
The appointment is a significant step forward for the open source community, but it could be a while before we see its benefits.
Richard Brown, vice president of corporate marketing at VIA Technologies, said:
We are delighted that Harald is joining us in this extremely important strategic position. With his rich experience in Open Source software development and outstanding reputation in the global community, Harald will play an invaluable role in enabling us to implement our Strategic Open Source Driver Development Initiative.
Speaking about his new role, Harald Welte stats:
This is an exciting time to be working with VIA as the company steps up its Open Source efforts. I look forward to working with the company’s management and R&D teams to make sure that they not only better understand the needs of developers but that they also build a productive and high quality relationship with the community.
In an effort to reach out to the open source community, VIA has a Linux Portal available in beta form at the following URL: http://linux.via.com.tw/
Official press release: VIA Contracts Harald Welte as Open Source Liaison
