Michael Tiemann is a true open source software pioneer. He made his first major open source contribution more than three decades ago by writing the GNU C++ compiler, the first native-code C++ compiler and debugger. His early work led to the creation of leading open source technologies and the first open source business model.
In 1989, Tiemann's technical expertise and entrepreneurial 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, Tiemann contributed in a number of roles from President to hacker, helping lead the company from fledgling start-up to an admired open source leader. When Cygnus was acquired by Red Hat in 2000, Tiemann became Red Hat's Chief Technical Officer (CTO) before becoming its first Vice President of Open Source Affairs. In that role Tiemann provides technology, strategy, and policy advice to executives in the public and private sectors.
Tiemann graduated from the Moore School at the University of Pennsylvania (Class of 1986) with a BS CSE degree, and later did research at INRIA (1988) and Stanford University (1988-1989).
Tiemann has served on a number of boards that have been instrumental in establishing Open Source as a leading development and commercial practice in the software industry. He joined the board of the Open Source Initiative in 2001 and served as its President from 2005-2012. Tiemann was also a founding board member of the Embedded Linux Consortium, the Eclipse Foundation, and an advisor to the GNOME Foundation. Tiemann provides financial support to organizations that further the goals of software and programmer freedom, including the Free Software Foundation and the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
He was also a Trustee of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and a founding member of the Board of Advisors for the Center for Environmental Farming Systems (2006-present). Tiemann has also remained active in the Creative Commons community, as both a sponsor of projects and promoter of the cause.
Authored Comments
When I first came to Red Hat, the office lobby quoted Victor Hugo in big bold letters: "Invading armies can be resisted, but not an idea whose time has come." Inside the work areas were many quotes from Gandhi, including "Be the change in the world you want to see." To me, Open Source was the idea whose time had come, while Free Software was the movement that encouraged individuals to be the change in the world they wanted to see.
In the documentary "Revolution OS", I noted the irony that the idea of a community free to innovate and commercialize their collective efforts "sounded too much like Communism" to a Russian visitor. I left it to the audience to think for themselves about the irony that such freedom sounded equally repulsive to American capitalists. But there is a third irony to the story: there is no single truth as to whether Open Source or Free Software is the "right" answer. Rather, it is the power of the two operating in concert that has transformed both the moment and the movement to become the defining technology for the 21st century. Open Source opened commercial doors that were barricaded against free software. Free software has inspired individuals to create new projects unimaginable to conventional commercial interests. Together they make a virtuous cycle whose benefits we can see (and bank on) every single day. In that spirit, we should celebrate the diversity of ideas and approaches that brings us together to progress in truly substantial ways.
Wow! I had no idea there were ever any errors or omissions in Bach's scores. But thinking about it, it makes sense that there's always something to fix. This is a great example of applying open source thinking to the field of music. And it's fun to listen to the compiled result ;-)