No. 36 Bruce Perens, open source advocate
Last year's position: Not placed
Why? Carrying the open source flag
Move over Linus Torvalds. On previous Agenda Setters lists the 'father of Linux' won a spot for leading the open source revolution. But this year the panel decided the free software flag is being carried by Bruce Perens.
Author of The Open Source Definition, a self-described "bill of rights for the computer user", Perens has been instrumental in turning open source software from a hobby into a business.
Not just a techie, though he worked on the Debian version of Linux and numerous other software projects, Perens has advised blue-chip companies such as IBM, Novell and Sun on their open source strategies.
It's his mix of hands-on development and corporate-friendly demeanour - and the fact he holds sway with both the geeks and the suits - that makes Perens an Agenda Setter this year.
Take a walk down memory lane - and find out who made the Agenda Setters poll over the years:
"Ray Ozzie is a radical change force for Microsoft. He is moving them in a very different direction."
--Richard Sykes, Agenda Setters panellist
"My observation is that [kids today] are far more networked and open than any other generation we have ever seen."
--Peter Cochrane, Agenda Setters panellist
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