Max Mehl (Updates and thoughts)

Ich wurde mal wieder von Ralf Hersel zum “Captain it’s Wednesday” Podcast von GNU/Linux.ch eingeladen, um über Software-Lieferketten bei der Deutschen Bahn zu sprechen.

At DB, we handle 100,000+ SBOMs per day.

At FOSDEM 2026, I presented Deutsche Bahn’s journey from operational need to concrete implementation of large-scale SBOM collection and use.

At FOSDEM 2026, I presented Deutsche Bahn’s software supply chain strategy in the context of the EU Cyber Resilience Act (CRA), but made clear from the start that CRA was the context, not the trigger.

Delivering digital sovereignty requires more than regulation and investment – it depends on institutional capability.

In the 45th episode of the FSFE Software Freedom Podcast, I joined Alexander Sander and Bonnie Mehring to discuss what is hopefully the final chapter of the EU Radio Equipment Directive (RED).

I had the pleasure to moderate the OpenRail Day 2025 in Paris, organised by the OpenRail Association to share knowledge and experiences about Open Source software in the railway industry.

My talk at FOSS Backstage (see earlier post) was also covered by LWN.net, in an article by Joe Brockmeier.

At FOSS Backstage 2025 in Berlin, I explored a critical challenge facing OSPOs and development teams: as we increase analysis of our software supply chains, tools and scorecards reveal potential risks in Open Source projects like low maintenance, lack of…

I own and manage 30+ domains at INWX, a large and professional domain registrar.

In this article, I explain why DB Systel relies on Open Source for strategic collaboration and how we approach Open Source at Deutsche Bahn.

At Siemens Open Source 2024, I presented a narrative journey through the life of an Open Source maintainer, structured as a five-act drama with a happy ending.

I have been invited to talk about Software Bills of Materials (SBOM) in SAP’s Open Source Way Podcast, hosted by Karsten Hohage and with SAP’s Sebastian Wolf as co-guest.

Im “Captain it’s Wednesday” Podcast von GNU/Linux.ch sprach ich mit Ralf Hersel über Freie Software bei der Deutschen Bahn.

At OSPOlogy Live Frankfurt in October 2023, I gave an introduction to Software Bills of Materials (SBOMs) for the OSPO community.

Auf dem 9.

I have been using Seafile for years to host and synchronise files on my own server.

At Upstream 2023, I participated in a fireside chat with Luis Villa (Tidelift) and my colleague Erik Schaufuss exploring the fascinating intersection between Software Bills of Materials (SBOMs) and Hardware Bills of Materials (HBOMs) within Deutsche Bahn’s

So you have a number of Docker containers running web services which you would like to expose to the outside?

At FOSDEM 2022, I again joined my fellow organizers of the Legal & Policy DevRoom for a panel discussion on the hot topics we observed over the past year in Free and Open Source Software.

I was invited to join the Digital Impact Alliance’s “Pulse on the Principles” podcast for a conversation about the intersection of Open Source software and Digital Public Goods.

At SFScon 2021 in Bolzano (Italy), I presented REUSE as a gold standard approach for Free and Open Source Software licensing.

At EuroBSDCon 2021, I introduced the REUSE initiative to the OpenBSD community, demonstrating how this approach can simplify licensing practices for Free and Open Source Software communities like theirs.

In the scope of my work with the FSFE regarding Cell Broadcast, I have been interviewed by The Local about the disaster warning system in Germany and whether a more open and resilient system could have prevented some damage during the Ahrtal floods in July

Nach der verheerenden Flutkatastrophe in Deutschland im Juli 2021 veröffentlichte BILD einen Artikel, der das Versagen der NINA-Warn-App kritisierte, nicht genug Menschen während der Katastrophe zu erreichen.

Im Juli 2021 veröffentlichte Heise/c’t magazin einen ausführlichen Artikel über die Pläne der EU-Kommission, die Funkanlagenrichtlinie (RED) mit neuen Standards und delegierten Rechtsakten umzusetzen.

In the 11th episode of the FSFE Software Freedom Podcast, I joined my colleague Bonnie Mehring to discuss the REUSE initiative and the newly launched REUSE Booster programme.

At OW2con 2021, I presented REUSE to an audience deeply involved in Open Source infrastructure projects and close to public authorities and French businesses.

Bei Europe Direct Dortmund hielt ich einen Vortrag über digitale Souveränität in Europa und die zentrale Rolle, die Freie und Open Source Software dabei spielt.

At LibrePlanet 2021, I presented the REUSE initiative as a set of best practices for declaring copyright and licenses in Free Software projects.

At FOSDEM 2021, I participated in the annual panel of Legal & Policy DevRoom organizers where we discussed the hot topics from the track’s presentations that year.

Ich war als Gast bei der sechsten Ausgabe des GnuLinuxNews-Podcasts zu Gast, wo wir über verschiedene Themen aus der Welt von Free and Open Source Software sprachen.

Ich wurde von Netzpolitik.org zur DMCA-Abmahnung der Musikindustrie gegen youtube-dl befragt und erklärte die Problematik von Multifunktionswerkzeugen: „Genau wie mit Webbrowsern, Verschlüsselungstools und zahlreichen anderen Programmen kann man damit leg…

In the recent weeks and months, the FSFE Web Team has been doing some heavy work on the FSFE website.

Im Librezoom-Podcast LZ20 mit dem Host Ralf Hersel gab ich ein Interview zur Frage, ob mehr Freiheit zu mehr Sicherheit führt – ein scheinbares Paradoxon in der IT-Sicherheitsdebatte.

For the 4th time, and less than 5 months after the last meeting, the FSFE System Hackers met in person to coordinate their activities, work on complex issues, and exchange know-how.

Beim Winterkongress der Digitalen Gesellschaft Schweiz hielt ich einen Vortrag über den fundamentalen Zusammenhang zwischen IT-Sicherheit und Freier Software/Open Source.

A few days ago I’ve sent an announcement email for today’s I Love Free Software Day to a large bunch of people.

At FOSDEM 2020, I presented “Go REUSE to license your code” in the Legal and Policy Issues Devroom.

At the Open Source Summit Europe 2019 in Lyon, I presented REUSE to an audience of enterprise Open Source professionals, developers, and decision-makers.

On 10 and 11 October, the FSFE System Hackers met in person to tackle problems and new features regarding the servers and services the FSFE is running.

At BalCCon 2019 in Novi Sad, Serbia, I delivered a talk arguing that real IT security is fundamentally impossible without Free and Open Source Software.

Bei den Grazer Linuxtagen 2019 hielt ich die Keynote über den Zusammenhang zwischen IT-Sicherheit und Freier Software.

The Register quoted me and my FSFE colleague Hauke Mehrtens on the growing controversy around Article 3(3)(i) of the EU Radio Equipment Directive.

We are facing a EU regulation which may make it impossible to install a custom piece of software on most radio decives like WiFi routers, smartphones and embedded devices.

If you are reading these lines, you are already accessing the brand-new planet of the FSFE.

LinuxInsider published a retrospective on over two decades of innovation through Open Source software, featuring my insights on how collaborative development has fundamentally changed the technology industry – from the early days of GNU and Linux through…

At BalCCon 2018 in Novi Sad (Serbia), I presented the FSFE’s “Public Money, Public Code” campaign and its vision for modernising public digital infrastructure through Free Software.

At DrupalEurope 2018 in Darmstadt, I presented the “Public Money, Public Code” initiative to an audience of Drupal developers, site builders, and digital agencies.

WELT veröffentlichte einen praktischen Leitfaden für Nutzer:innen, die mehr digitale Souveränität über ihre Android-Geräte erlangen möchten.