No. 44 Ian Foster, academic and grid computing pioneer
Last year's position: 23
Ian Foster, known as 'the father of grid', makes a return to the Agenda Setters list this year, albeit at a reduced placing - from 23 last year to 44 this year.Best known for his early work in grid computing, Foster remains an influential figure in the world of technology and continues to work as a researcher and academic in grid.
According to the panel, Foster wins his place in the top 50 due to his role as "spokesman" for the grid computing movement, which is increasingly finding favour outside of academia, particularly in the financial services sector.
Foster's potential for future Agenda Setting has been increased by his decision to go commercial. The 'grid father' recently launched his own business, Univa, selling support and services to those businesses which have already adopted grid technology.
Take a walk down memory lane - and find out who made the Agenda Setters poll over the years:
"China clearly has many dimensions and many are setting an agenda. It's at the political level, it's at the investment level, it's at the contract manufacturing level and it's at the software level - it's all over."
--Peter Rowell, Regent Associates executive chairman and Agenda Setters panellist
How to spend $4 billion? Google has plenty of ideas New York Times via International Herald Tribune
The resurrection of Steve Jobs The Economist
Developing the Skype ecosystem: Q&A with CEO Niklas Zennstrom DigiTimes.com
silicon.com and the Bathwick Group have created an opportunity for business and IT executives to share their experience with each other and thus enhance their knowledge of the IT marketplace.
Join our research panel, and you'll be asked to participate in short surveys - and then will be privy to the answers of all your colleagues, as we send you tailored versions of the results. For more about the Research Panel and how to join, click here
Copyright © 2008 CBS Interactive Limited. All rights reserved. Top of page
RSS Feeds