# Mike Haertel

> original author of GNU grep

**Wikidata**: [Q133824787](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q133824787)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/mike-haertel

## Summary
Mike Haertel is an American-born programmer and software engineer best known as the original author and maintainer of GNU grep. He is a member of the GNU Project and has worked professionally as a microprocessor architect at Intel.

## Biography
- Born: [date and place not available]
- Education: St. Olaf College
- Known for: Original author and maintainer of GNU Grep
- Employer(s): Intel; member of the GNU Project
- Field(s): Programming; software engineering

## Contributions
Mike Haertel is credited as the original author of GNU grep and has held the role of grep maintainer for the GNU Project. His work produced the GNU implementation of the grep utility, a named entry under his notable work. Haertel has been an active member of the GNU Project, contributing to GNU’s suite of tools. In addition to his open-source contributions, Haertel worked professionally at Intel as a microprocessor architect — he has stated that he left graduate school to work at Intel full time in that role (interview source dated 2002). His public developer presence includes a GitHub account under the username "mikehaertel." Haertel’s documented roles combine open-source maintenance (grep) with industry engineering work (microprocessor architecture at Intel), linking a notable GNU Project contribution to a professional hardware/architecture practice.

## FAQs
### Q: Did Mike Haertel write grep?
A: Yes. Mike Haertel is the original author of GNU grep and has served as grep maintainer for the GNU Project.

### Q: Where did Mike Haertel work professionally?
A: He has worked at Intel as a microprocessor architect. He reported leaving graduate school to work at Intel full time.

### Q: Where was Mike Haertel educated?
A: He was educated at St. Olaf College.

## Why They Matter
Mike Haertel’s authorship and maintenance of GNU grep places him as a contributor to the GNU Project’s collection of core utilities. As original author and maintainer, he produced and sustained a named GNU implementation of a commonly referenced text-search utility, linking individual open-source development work to the broader GNU ecosystem. His dual activity—maintaining an important GNU tool while working in industry as a microprocessor architect at Intel—illustrates a bridge between open-source software tooling and professional engineering practice. The combination of maintainership within the GNU Project and professional engineering experience provides continuity between tool development and practical engineering requirements. Without named maintainers and original authors like Haertel, the GNU Project’s availability of compatible and maintained utilities would be diminished; his role adds to the project’s technical stewardship and historical record of contributors.

## Notable For
- Original author of GNU grep (listed as his primary notable work).
- Served as grep maintainer for the GNU Project.
- Member of the GNU Project.
- Worked at Intel as a microprocessor architect (left graduate school to take that role).
- Educated at St. Olaf College; public developer presence as GitHub user "mikehaertel."

## Body

### Identity and roles
- Instance of human; male.
- Occupation recorded as programmer.
- Also associated with the software engineering class of practitioners.
- Languages: English.

### GNU Project and grep
- Notable_work: GNU Grep.
- Position_held: grep maintainer.
- Member_of: GNU Project.
- Credited as the original author of the GNU implementation of grep.

### Professional career
- Employer: Intel (documented role: microprocessor architect).
- Public statement (interview, 2002): left graduate school to work at Intel full time as a microprocessor architect.
- Employer history includes affiliation entries documented in interview references.

### Education and public presence
- Educated at St. Olaf College.
- GitHub username: mikehaertel.
- Maintains a documented presence in interviews and GNU-related archives.

### Sources and documentation
- Primary structured references include a GNU-Friends interview (2002) and documented Wikidata properties noting authorship of GNU grep, membership in the GNU Project, employment at Intel, education at St. Olaf College, and the grep maintainer role.

## References

1. [Source](https://blog.djmnet.org/2023/05/05/interview-from-2002/)