Brian Behlendorf Technologist, programmer Date of Birth: 30.03.1973 Country: USA

1. Brian Behlendorf: Pioneer of Free Software and Apache Web Server
2. Early Influences and Internet Explorations
3. Organic, Inc. and the HotWired Project
4. The Birth of Apache and the Apache Software Foundation
5. CollabNet and Open Source Advocacy

Brian Behlendorf: Pioneer of Free Software and Apache Web Server

Brian Behlendorf is a renowned technologist, programmer, and a pivotal figure in the Free Software movement. His contributions to the internet and open source software have had a profound impact on the digital landscape.

Early Influences and Internet Explorations

Born in Southern California, Behlendorf grew fascinated with the nascent internet while studying at the University of California, Berkeley, in the early 1990s. One of his first projects was the SFRaves email list and online music resource, which he co-founded in 1992. As an early participant in the Burning Man festival, he also established a substantial online presence dedicated to electronic music and its subcultures.

Organic, Inc. and the HotWired Project

In 1993, Behlendorf co-founded Organic, Inc. with Jonathan Nelson, Matthew Nelson, and Cliff Skolnick. This venture was one of the first companies focused on creating commercial websites. While working on HotWired, a non-profit media venture for Wired magazine in 1994, they encountered limitations in the most widely used web server software of the time.

The Birth of Apache and the Apache Software Foundation

In response to HotWired's needs, Behlendorf developed a patch to support its user registration system. However, he discovered that others were working on similar modifications. Together with Skolnick, he initiated an email list to coordinate their efforts. Ultimately, they rewrote the entire web server from scratch and named it the Apache HTTP Server. In 1999, the project was formalized under the Apache Software Foundation.

CollabNet and Open Source Advocacy

Behlendorf is currently the CEO of CollabNet, a company he co-founded with O'Reilly & Associates (now O'Reilly Media) in 1999. CollabNet develops tools for collaborative, distributed software development. It is also the primary corporate sponsor of Subversion, an open source version control system. As an ardent advocate for Free Software, Behlendorf frequently speaks at conferences around the world.