Linux Foundation Welcomes New Director Overseas

The Linux Foundation announced today it has chosen technology expert Axel Petrak to be the new Director of Europe, Middle East and Africa. His responsibilities include working with businesses and the Linux community to coordinate workshops, technical workgroups, and events that will further increase the adoption of open source in Europe.

As the number of government and educational systems using open source technology increases around the globe, it makes good sense for the Foundation to designate a go-to person for regional activities overseas. Petrak brings 25 years of IT experience to the table, including 13 years spent in various senior management positions at Intel GmbH in Germany.

 “While Linux benefits from a distributed development model that relies on contributions from people around the globe, regional focus for Linux Foundation activities can accelerate important work on the platform,” said Jim Zemlin, executive director, The Linux Foundation, in a prepared statement.

A liason between Europe and the Linux community couldn't come at a better time. The European Commission has come under fire for its apparent bias toward open source software, and Russia suffered a setback recently while attempting a nation-wide transition to free software in its schools. Although the use of open source technology is on the rise in many European industries, a strong overseas presence by the Linux Foundation will no doubt go a long way to assuage any lingering doubts about Linux and open source as a viable option against much of the propietary software currently in use.