Bob Frankston Explained

Bob Frankston
Birth Date:	14 June 1949
Birth Place:	Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Alma Mater:	Massachusetts Institute of Technology (SB, MEng)
Known For:	Co-creator of VisiCalc

Robert M. Frankston (born June 14, 1949) is an American software engineer and businessman who co-created, with Dan Bricklin, the VisiCalc spreadsheet program. Frankston is also the co-founder of Software Arts.^[1]

Early life and education

Frankston was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. He graduated from Stuyvesant High School in New York City in 1966. He earned a S.B degree in computer science and mathematics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, followed by a Master of Engineering degree in computer science, also from MIT.^{[2] [3]}

Career

Following his work with Dan Bricklin, Frankston later worked at Lotus Development Corporation and Microsoft.^[4]

Frankston became an outspoken advocate for reducing the role of telecommunications companies in the evolution of the Internet, particularly with respect to broadband and mobile communications.^{[5] [6]} He coined the term "Regulatorium" to describe what he considers collusion between telecommunication companies and their regulators that prevents change.^{[7] [8]}

Awards and recognition

• Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery (1994) "for the invention of VisiCalc, a new metaphor for data manipulation that galvanized the personal computing industry"
• MIT William L. Stewart Award for co-founding the M.I.T. Student Information Processing Board (SIPB).
• The Association for Computing Machinery Software System Award (1985)
• The MIT LCS Industrial Achievement Award
• The Washington Award (2001) from the Western Society of Engineers (with Bricklin)
• In 2004, he was made a Fellow of the Computer History Museum "for advancing the utility of personal computers by developing the VisiCalc electronic spreadsheet."^[9]

External links

• Bob Frankston's site/blog
• Biographical article from Smart Computing

Notes and References

1. News: Kenneth N. Gilpin. Todd S. Purdum. April 10, 1985. Former Friendly Rivals Joining Forces at Lotus. The New York Times.
2. Web site: Bob Frankston - bio. 2007-10-31.
3. Web site: Bob Frankston. CHM. en. 2020-05-17.
4. News: . Microsoft Acquires PC Pioneer's Company . John Markoff . March 11, 2005.
5. Bob Frankston. The 2 Trillion Dollar Mistake. Presentation at Emerging Communications Conference 2008.
6. Web site: Ambient Connectivity . 2009-12-30.
7. Web site: The Regulatorium and the Moral Imperative . 2009-12-30.
8. Web site: The Infrastructure Dynamic. . Doc Searls . 2009-12-30.
9. Web site: Bob Frankston. Computer History Museum. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20130509235833/http://www.computerhistory.org/fellowawards/hall/bios/Bob,Frankston/. 2013-05-09. 2013-05-23.