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Author SHA1 Message Date
ea5ad727b2 feat: convert remaining talks to content
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f8a3fdccfc feat: reduce summary length 2026-02-19 23:14:47 +01:00
dc57077b85 feat: header image contains alt and title tag 2026-02-19 23:06:12 +01:00
15 changed files with 152 additions and 4 deletions

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@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ baseurl = "https://mehl.mx/"
languageCode = "en-GB" languageCode = "en-GB"
title = "Max Mehl" title = "Max Mehl"
theme = [ "hugo-sustain", "hugo-cloak-email", "hugo-mastodon-comments", "hugo-snap-gallery" ] theme = [ "hugo-sustain", "hugo-cloak-email", "hugo-mastodon-comments", "hugo-snap-gallery" ]
summaryLength = 50
[markup.highlight] [markup.highlight]
codeFences = true codeFences = true

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@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ tags:
headerimage: headerimage:
src: glt-2019.jpg src: glt-2019.jpg
text: Bild von mir bei der Keynote auf den Grazer Linuxtagen 2019 text: Bild von mir bei der Keynote auf den Grazer Linuxtagen 2019
alt: Max Mehl während seiner Keynote auf den Grazer Linuxtagen 2019
processes: processes:
- fill 1000x440 center webp - fill 1000x440 center webp
video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOv_5ZPcFZ8 video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOv_5ZPcFZ8

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@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
---
title: "No IT security without Free Software"
date: 2019-07-03
categories:
- english
- presentation
tags:
- Security
headerimage:
src: pass-the-salt-2019.jpg
text: Picture of me giving the presentation at Pass the SALT 2019 in Lille
alt: Max Mehl during his presentation at Pass the SALT 2019 in Lille
video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0qxm331Q8Q
slides: https://download.fsfe.org/presentations/20190703-mm-SALT-ITSec.en.pdf
event:
name: Pass the SALT 2019
href: https://2019.pass-the-salt.org/talks/102.html
---
At Pass the SALT 2019 in Lille, France, I presented on the essential connection between IT security and Free Software. Pass the SALT (Security And Libre Talks) is a security conference with a specific focus on Free and Open Source Software security tools and practices, making it the ideal venue for this topic. The conference brings together security professionals who both develop and use Free Software security tools, and understand the value of transparency in security work.
The talk examined why proprietary software creates fundamental security problems that cannot be solved through patches or better practices alone. Without access to source code, security researchers cannot fully audit systems, users cannot verify what their software actually does, and the community cannot collaborate on security improvements. I presented case studies of security issues that persisted in proprietary systems precisely because of their closed nature, contrasted with Free Software projects where transparency enabled rapid community response to vulnerabilities.
The presentation also addressed common misconceptions: that disclosure of source code helps attackers (when research shows the opposite), that commercial vendors provide better security than community projects (when evidence suggests otherwise), and that security and usability require proprietary approaches (when Free Software demonstrates both are achievable). For the Pass the SALT audience, this reinforced their work developing and promoting Free Software security tools as not just technically sound, but philosophically necessary for genuine security.

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@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
---
title: "No IT security without Free Software"
date: 2019-09-14
categories:
- english
- presentation
tags:
- Security
headerimage:
src: balccon-2019.jpg
text: Picture of me giving the presentation at BalCCon 2019 in Novi Sad
alt: Max Mehl during his presentation at BalCCon 2019 in Novi Sad, Serbia
processes:
- fill 1000x440 bottom webp
video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SWijSFbMhg
slides: https://download.fsfe.org/presentations/20190914-mm-BalCCon-ITSec.en.pdf
event:
name: BalCCon 2019
href: https://2k19.balccon.org/events/325.html
---
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. BalCCon (Balkan Computer Congress) brings together security researchers, hackers, and technology enthusiasts from across the Balkans and beyond, making it a perfect audience for examining the deep connections between software freedom and security. The talk challenged the common assumption that security and openness are somehow in tension, arguing instead that transparency is a prerequisite for trustworthy security.
The presentation examined multiple dimensions of this argument: the security benefits of source code transparency, the danger of security through obscurity in proprietary systems, the importance of independent security audits, the problem of backdoors and undisclosed vulnerabilities, and the critical role of user control over their computing environment. I showed concrete examples where Open Source can resolve an ongoing tension between economic incentives and security needs without sacrificing either.
For the BalCCon audience, many of whom work directly in information security, this argument resonated strongly. The discussion explored how Open Source principles align with security best practices like defense in depth, least privilege, and verifiable trust. The talk reinforced that advocating for Free Software isn't just about philosophy or licensing -- it's about building secure systems in a fundamentally insecure world.

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@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
---
title: "REUSE: Make licensing easy for everyone"
date: 2019-10-28
categories:
- english
- presentation
tags:
- REUSE
headerimage:
src: firstslide.jpg
alt: Title slide of my presentation at Open Source Summit Europe 2019 in Lyon
processes:
- fill 1000x440 center webp
slides: https://download.fsfe.org/presentations/20191028-mm-OSSEU-REUSE.en.pdf
event:
name: Open Source Summit Europe 2019
href: https://osseu19.sched.com/event/05a3272287d3def1bcb0a62ace00b730
---
At the Open Source Summit Europe 2019 in Lyon, I presented REUSE to an audience of enterprise open source professionals, developers, and decision-makers. The Open Source Summit, organized by the Linux Foundation, brings together the commercial and community sides of open source, making it an ideal venue to discuss how REUSE addresses licensing challenges that affect both worlds. The talk emphasized how REUSE makes licensing straightforward for everyone: from individual contributors to large organizations managing complex open source portfolios.
The presentation focused on the practical solutions to typical problems with licensing information: unclear licensing and copyright of individual files, conflicting best practices, and loss of such information during use and re-use of files and components. I explained the three core REUSE rules and showed how the tooling integrates with existing development workflows and CI/CD pipelines. For the enterprise-focused audience, I highlighted how REUSE helps organizations that both consume and contribute to open source software, providing clear documentation that satisfies legal teams while remaining developer-friendly.
The discussion revealed strong interest from companies dealing with complex multi-license scenarios and those seeking to improve their open source practices. REUSE offered a solution that bridges the gap between legal requirements and development realities -- exactly what many organizations were looking for as open source became increasingly central to their technology stacks.

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@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
---
title: "Go REUSE to license your code"
date: 2020-02-02
categories:
- english
- presentation
tags:
- REUSE
headerimage:
src: fosdem-2020.jpg
text: Picture of me giving the presentation at FOSDEM 2020 in Brussels
alt: Max Mehl during his presentation at FOSDEM 2020 in Brussels
processes:
- fill 1000x440 bottom webp
video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyAYKROvTO8
slides: https://download.fsfe.org/presentations/20200202-mm-FOSDEM-REUSE.en.pdf
event:
name: FOSDEM 2020
href: https://fosdem.org/2020/schedule/event/reuse_code_licensing/
---
At FOSDEM 2020, I presented "Go REUSE to license your code" in the Legal and Policy Issues Devroom. This talk marked an important milestone in the REUSE initiative's evolution, as we were seeing increasing adoption across diverse projects and growing recognition of licensing clarity as a critical aspect of software quality. The presentation encouraged developers to adopt REUSE practices for their own projects, showing that proper licensing doesn't have to be complicated or time-consuming.
The talk walked through the three simple REUSE rules and demonstrated hands-on how developers could implement them in their projects. I showcased the REUSE helper tool which automates compliance checking, the REUSE API for displaying compliance badges, and showed real examples from projects that had successfully adopted REUSE. A key message was that REUSE is not only about legal compliance but respect for maintainers, clarity for users, and building a sustainable Free Software ecosystem where licensing information is always clear and accessible.
The discussion after the talk focused on practical questions about edge cases, integration with existing workflows, and how to gradually improve licensing in legacy codebases. This was exactly the kind of community-driven conversation that helps initiatives like REUSE evolve to meet real-world needs.

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@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
---
title: "Keine IT-Sicherheit ohne Freie Software"
date: 2020-02-22
categories:
- deutsch
- presentation
tags:
- Security
headerimage:
src: winterkongress-2020.jpg
text: Bild von mir bei der Präsentation auf dem Winterkongress Digitale Gesellschaft Schweiz
alt: Max Mehl während seiner Präsentation auf dem Winterkongress Digitale Gesellschaft Schweiz 2020
video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MW9a5fPX-k
slides: https://download.fsfe.org/presentations/20200222-mm-Winterkongress-ITSec.de.pdf
event:
name: Winterkongress Digitale Gesellschaft CH
href: https://www.winterkongress.ch/2020/talks/keine_it-sicherheit_ohne_freie_software/
---
Beim Winterkongress der Digitalen Gesellschaft Schweiz hielt ich einen Vortrag über den fundamentalen Zusammenhang zwischen IT-Sicherheit und Freier Software/Open Source. Die Kernthese war provokant formuliert, aber technisch begründet: Echte IT-Sicherheit ist ohne Freie Software nicht möglich. In einer Zeit, in der Cybersecurity zunehmend als kritisches Thema für Gesellschaft, Wirtschaft und Staat wahrgenommen wurde, argumentierte ich, dass proprietäre Software strukturelle Sicherheitsprobleme mit sich bringt, die nicht einfach durch bessere Praktiken gelöst werden können.
Der Vortrag beleuchtete mehrere Dimensionen dieses Arguments: Transparenz als Voraussetzung für Vertrauen, die Notwendigkeit unabhängiger Sicherheitsüberprüfungen, das Problem von Hintertüren und nicht offengelegten Schwachstellen in Closed-Source-Software, sowie die Bedeutung von Vendor-Unabhängigkeit für langfristige Sicherheitsupdates. Für das Publikum beim Winterkongress, das sich für digitale Bürgerrechte und eine demokratische digitale Gesellschaft einsetzt, war diese Verbindung zwischen Freiheit und Sicherheit besonders relevant. Der Vortrag zeigte, dass es kein Widerspruch ist, gleichzeitig für Softwarefreiheit und für Sicherheit einzutreten. Ganz im Gegenteil: das eine setzt das andere voraus.

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@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
---
title: "Führt mehr Freiheit zu mehr Sicherheit?"
date: 2020-04-01
categories:
- deutsch
- podcast
tags:
- Security
headerimage:
src: librezoom.jpg
audio: https://up.mehl.mx/audio/20200401-librezoom-itsec.mp3
event:
name: Librezoom Podcast
href: http://web.archive.org/web/20230603153954/https://librezoom.net/lz20-paradox/
---
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. Viele Menschen assoziieren Sicherheit mit Kontrolle und Einschränkungen, während Freie und Open Source Software auf Offenheit setzt. In diesem Gespräch ging ich der Frage nach, warum diese scheinbare Dichotomie in der Realität keine ist und wie Freie Software tatsächlich fundamentale Voraussetzungen für echte IT-Sicherheit schafft.
Wir diskutierten über verschiedene Aspekte: Transparenz durch Quellcode-Offenheit, die Möglichkeit unabhängiger Sicherheitsaudits, die Bedeutung von Kontrolle über die eigene Software-Infrastruktur, und warum proprietäre "Sicherheit by Obscurity" ein gefährlicher Trugschluss ist. Das Interview beleuchtete auch praktische Beispiele, wo Closed-Source-Software zu Sicherheitsproblemen führte, während Freie Software Alternativen robustere Lösungen bot.
Diese Diskussion war besonders relevant in einer Zeit, in der IT-Sicherheit zunehmend als Begründung für mehr Überwachung und weniger digitale Freiheiten herangezogen wurde. Das Interview argumentierte, dass echter Schutz nicht durch Einschränkung von Freiheit, sondern durch deren Ermöglichung erreicht wird.

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@@ -15,11 +15,14 @@
{{- $filter := .filter }} {{- $filter := .filter }}
{{- if not $image }} {{- if not $image }}
{{- warnf "Header image '%s' not found for page %s" .src $page.RelPermalink }} {{- warnf "Header image '%s' not found for page %s" .src $page.RelPermalink }}
{{- end }} {{- else }}
{{- with $image }}
{{- $image = partial "image-processing" (dict "image" $image "processes" $processes "filter" $filter) -}} {{- $image = partial "image-processing" (dict "image" $image "processes" $processes "filter" $filter) -}}
<img src="{{ $image.RelPermalink }}" /> <img
{{- end }} src="{{ $image.RelPermalink }}"
{{- with .text }} title="{{ . }}" {{ end }}
{{- with .alt }} alt="{{ . }}" {{ end }}
/>
{{- with .text }}<p>{{ . | markdownify }}</p>{{ end }} {{- with .text }}<p>{{ . | markdownify }}</p>{{ end }}
{{- end }}
</div> </div>
{{- end }} {{- end }}