View source for Jon Hall (programmer)

{{short description|Programmer and major contributor to the Linux project}}
{{Redirect|maddog||Mad Dog (disambiguation)}}
{{BLP sources|date=June 2011}}
{{Infobox person
|name        = Jon Hall
|image       = 2015-03-19 Jon Hall by Olaf Kosinsky-4 (cropped).jpg
|caption     = Hall in 2015
|birth_date  = {{birth date and age|1950|08|7}}
|birth_place = 
|death_date  = 
|death_place = 
|other_names = maddog
|known_for   = 
|occupation  = 
|nationality = 
|education   = [[Master of Science]], [[Computer Science]]; [[Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute]], 1977 <br />[[Bachelor of Science]], Commerce and Engineering; [[Drexel University]], 1973
|employer    = Linux Professional Institute
|title       = Board Chair
}}
'''Jon''' "'''maddog'''" '''Hall''' (born 7 August 1950) is the  board chair for the [[Linux Professional Institute]].

== Early life  ==
Hall helped his father assemble toys at a toy store, and had three years of experience working at his high school electronics shop.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://architecnologia.es/jon-maddog-hall-exclusive-interview | title=Jon "maddog" Hall: Exclusive interview for AT | date=17 November 2021 }}</ref>

==Career==
The nickname "maddog" was given to him by his students at [[Hartford State Technical College]], where he was the department head of Computer Science. He now prefers to be called by this name. According to Hall, his nickname "came from a time when I had less control over my temper".<ref>{{cite web|author=Kane Fulton |url=http://www.techradar.com/news/software/operating-systems/-ubuntu-on-android-may-help-find-next-einstein--1159142 |title='Ubuntu on Android may help find next Einstein' &#124; News |date=18 June 2013 |publisher=TechRadar |access-date=2014-01-06}}</ref>

He has worked for [[Western Electric|Western Electric Corporation]], [[Aetna]] Life and Casualty,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://hostingjournalist.com/modern-day-gnulinux-with-jon-maddog-hall-part-1/ | title=Business Videos with Cloud, Hosting & Data Center Insights }}</ref> [[Bell Laboratories]], [[Digital Equipment Corporation]] (Digital), [[VA Linux]] Systems, and [[Silicon Graphics]] (SGI). He was the [[Chief technical officer|CTO]] and ambassador of the now defunct computer appliance company [[Koolu]].<ref>{{cite web
|url         = http://koolu.com/The-Koolu-Team/maddog.html
|title       = Jon "maddog" Hall - CTO and Ambassador
|publisher   = Koolu
|archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20090508114910/http://koolu.com/The-Koolu-Team/maddog.html
|archive-date = 8 May 2009
|url-status     = dead
|access-date  = 28 July 2011
}}</ref>

It was during his time with Digital that he initially became interested in Linux and was instrumental in obtaining equipment and resources for [[Linus Torvalds]] to accomplish his first port, to [[DEC Alpha|Digital's Alpha platform]]. It was also in this general timeframe that Hall, who lives in New Hampshire, started the Greater New Hampshire [[Linux User Group|Linux Users' Group]].  Hall has [[Unix|UNIX]] as his New Hampshire [[Vanity plate|vanity license plate]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nashuatelegraph.com/granitegeek/978660-468/the-most-famous-geek-license-plate-in.html |title=The most famous geek license plate in the world - UNIX with "Live Free or |work=Nashua Telegraph |publisher=NashuaTelegraph.com |date=2012-10-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160802144854/https://www.nashuatelegraph.com/granitegeek/978660-468/the-most-famous-geek-license-plate-in.html |access-date=2014-02-28|archive-date=2016-08-02 }}</ref>

[[File:Jon Hall with his gadgets 1.JPG|thumb|Jon Hall explaining gadgets]]
Hall serves or has served on the boards of several companies, and several non-profit organizations, including the [[USENIX]] Association. Hall has spoken about Linux and free software at the technology conference [[Campus Party]] many times since 2007.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.campus-party.org/10en.html |title=Main Speakers at Campus Party |publisher=Campus Party |access-date=2014-01-06 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131018042046/http://www.campus-party.org/10en.html |archive-date=2013-10-18 }}</ref>

Hall holds a [[Master of Science]] in computer science from [[Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute]] (1977) and a [[Bachelor of Science]] in commerce and engineering from [[Drexel University]] (1973).

In September 2015, Hall joined the board of [[Linux Professional Institute|The Linux Professional Institute]], as chairman of the board.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Linux Professional Institute Elects New Members to Board of Directors - Linux Professional Institute |url=https://www.lpi.org/linux-professional-institute-elects-new-members-to-board-of-directors/ |website=Linux Professional Institute |access-date=2015-10-25 |language=en |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160110050553/https://www.lpi.org/linux-professional-institute-elects-new-members-to-board-of-directors/ |archive-date=2016-01-10 }}</ref>

He is the co-founder of [[Brazil]]ian [[Internet of things]] and [[Single-board computer]] project called [[Caninos Loucos]] based on [[University of São Paulo]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://caninosloucos.org/en/program-en/|title=Caninos Loucos - Program}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.linux-magazine.com/Issues/2019/218/maddog-s-Doghouse|title=A hardware platform for the Brazilian IoT program - Doghouse IoT|date=2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://debconf19.debconf.org/talks/39-caninos-loucos-enabling-design-and-manufacture-of-fossh-in-latin-america/|title=Caninos Loucos: Enabling Design and Manufacture of FOSSH in Latin America|date=2019-07-22}}</ref>

==Advocacy==
Hall has used his experience and name recognition to promote a variety of causes, generally involving [[open-source hardware]] or software in some fashion.
In 2011 Hall gave talks and served on the planning committee for the leadership track of [https://www.posscon.org/technical2011/ POSSCON] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230821151704/https://www.posscon.org/technical2011/ |date=2023-08-21 }} in Columbia South Carolina. 

Hall is the president and evangelist for Project Cauã, which he describes as "a project to help create millions of sustainable, private sector, entrepreneurial jobs in dense urban areas in Latin America".<ref>{{cite web|title="It's all maddog's fault," proclaims David Rusling, Linaro CTO|url=http://www.linaro.org/blog/community-blog/its-all-maddogs-fault-proclaims-david-rusling-linaro-cto/|website=www.linaro.org|access-date=16 July 2014|archive-date=20 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140720070247/http://www.linaro.org/blog/community-blog/its-all-maddogs-fault-proclaims-david-rusling-linaro-cto/|url-status=dead}}</ref> The project is based around an open hardware and software design for small, low power computers which will be the basis for small scale but widespread entrepreneurs using this platform to bring networking and entertainment to urban areas.

In 2013, Hall came on board as an advocate for the ARM 64-bit porting project being run by the [[Linaro]] group.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.linux-magazine.com/Issues/2014/166/Doghouse-Performance-Improvements | title=Assembly Line » Linux Magazine }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=#performance|url=http://performance.linaro.org/|website=performance.linaro.org|access-date=16 July 2014|archive-date=20 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140720064017/http://performance.linaro.org/|url-status=dead}}</ref> The objective is to port a collection of Linux open-source libraries to the 64-bit ARM architecture (ARMv8).<ref>https://www.linux-magazin.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Linaro-Where-Corporations-and-Free-Software-Meet_Jon-maddog-Hall_Linaro.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=August 2024}}</ref>

In January 2022, Hall gave testimony in a [https://yro.slashdot.org/story/22/01/17/040252/what-happened-at-the-hearing-for-new-hampshires-free-software-law New Hampshire subcommittee] for the use of free and open source software for government use. 

==Personal life==
In June 2012, the day after [[Alan Turing]]'s birthday, Hall published an article in ''[[Linux Magazine]]'' announcing that he was gay.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.linux-magazine.com/content/view/full/55727|title=In Honor of Alan Turing: A message from the sponsor|first=Jon|last=Hall|publisher=[[Linux Magazine]]|date=24 June 2012}}</ref> He is the godfather to [[Linus Torvalds]]' children.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lpi.org/blog/2021/07/05/my-lgbtq-life-tech|title=My LGBTQ+ life in tech|first=Jon|last=Hall|publisher=[[Linux Professional Institute]]|date=5 July 2021}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Jon Hall (programmer)}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20040928180451/http://www.linuxtoday.com/news_story.php3?ltsn=1999-04-19-005-05-NW-LF ''linux today''], Words of a maddog, April 19, 1999
* [http://archive.fosdem.org/2003/index/speakers/speakers_maddog.html Jon 'Maddog' Hall at 2003 FOSDEM]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070927204411/http://www.latamtech.com/?q=node%2F18 An Interview with Jon "Maddog" Hall], executive director of Linux International, at Linux World in Mexico City, Feb. 16, 2006
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090321150702/http://www.freesoftwaremagazine.com/articles/interview_jon_maddog_hall_linuxworld_2006 Interview] at LinuxWorld 2006
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20061206031916/http://tllts.org/mirror.php?fname=tllts_160-10-01-06.ogg Linux Link Tech Show interview (audio), 2006]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20150622220457/https://twit.tv/shows/floss-weekly/episodes/17 Interview] on TWIT.TV's ''FLOSS Weekly'' Podcast, March 24, 2007
* [https://archive.org/details/InternationalCommunityWirelessSummit2007ClosingPlenary International Community Wireless Summit 2007]: Closing Plenary (audio), 2007
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090919034125/http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/1430592 Jon Maddog Hall], How opensource will dominate the world. at [[LinuxFest Northwest]] 2009. (bad audio)
* [http://media.ccc.de/browse/conferences/froscon/2010/froscon10_-_615_-_en_-_free_and_open_source_software_in_the_developing_world_-_jon_maddog_hall.html#video Jon Maddog Hall, "Free and Open Source Software in the developing world"] at FrOSCon 2010 
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120503064431/http://www.mylinuxrig.com/post/19511715022/the-linux-setup-jon-maddog-hall-linux March 2012 Interview] for the blog "The Linux Setup"
* [http://radiotux.de/interviews/jon_hall_linuxinternational.ogg Interview] with Jon Hall at the LinuxTag in Karlsruhe by [[RadioTux]]
*[https://www.pue.es/academy-day/2019/resources/slides/presentacion-lpi-pueacademy.pdf Jon Hall presentacion] pue.es academy
* [http://www.gnhlug.org/ Greater New Hampshire Linux User Group]
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* [http://cdn.lanacion.com.ar/audios/2010/09/20100909_MaddogFurioso.rbs Maddog telling an experience that led to his nickname (audio)] -->


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{{DEFAULTSORT:Hall, Jon}}
[[Category:1950 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Drexel University alumni]]
[[Category:American computer programmers]]
[[Category:Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute alumni]]
[[Category:Linux people]]
[[Category:Digital divide activists]]
[[Category:American gay men]]
[[Category:American nonprofit executives]]
[[Category:Scientists at Bell Labs]]
[[Category:Digital Equipment Corporation people]]
[[Category:Geeknet]]
[[Category:Silicon Graphics people]]
[[Category:Open source advocates]]