Michael Tiemann is a true open source software pioneer. His first major open source contributions included ports of and enhancements to GCC and GDB as well as the original authorship of the GNU C++ compiler, the world's first native-code C++ compiler. In 1989, Michael's technical successes and entreprenurial spirit led him to co-found Cygnus Solutions, the first company to provide commercial support for open source software. During his ten years at Cygnus, Michael contributed in a number of roles from President to hacker, helping to lead the company from a fledgling start-up to an admired open source leader.

Michael is now Red Hat's Vice President of Open Source Affairs. In this role, Michael integrates and informs technology and open source strategies for Red Hat and its strategic partners and customers in the public and private sectors. In addition to his responsibilities at Red Hat, Michael serves on a number of boards, including the Open Source Initiative (where he is also President), the eclipse.org project, and the GNOME Foundation. Michael also provides support to organizations that further the goals of software freedom, including the Free Software Foundation and the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

• Defining Open Source