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The Most Influential People In Open Source

Posted by Soulskill on from the surprising-lack-of-beards dept.

mmaney writes "As part of its 2009 open source best practices research, MindTouch asked C and VP level open source executives who they thought are the most influential people in the industry today. The list is ranked by the effect these individuals have had on the open source industry. Over 50 votes from executives in Europe and North America were cast. There were a few surprises from outside of the open source industry. Steve Ballmer got a mention because of his negative remarks on the open source industry and its subsequent positive impact. Vivek Kundra was mentioned because of his contributions to the industry inside the US Federal Government. Notably absent, however, are any influential women." Relatedly, Matt Asay (who is also on the list) writes about the decreased need for open-source evangelism, noting that several people on the list are there "not because they're open-source cheerleaders, but because they have helped vendors and customers alike understand how to get the most from open-source investments."

3 of 189 comments (clear)

  1. This list is disappointing. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    Yeah, a list of white male millionaires. Classy.

    This list is disappointing. It doesn't include Richard Stallman, Linus Torvalds, Larry Wall, Bruce Perens, Tim O'Reilly, Eric S. Raymond, Paul Vixie, Eric Allman, Andrew Tridgell, Mark Spencer, et al. et al.

    All it proves is that these fifty people really have no idea (and don't care) where open software comes from.

  2. Who cares about open source? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    If that were Free Software on the other hand...

    http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.html

  3. Re:Slashdot power to the rescue! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    The only thing you are notable for is being a 2nd rate Microsoft troll. To even assert that you belong on the same list as Steve Balmer is seriously wishful thinking.