Bob Frankston
Programmer who co-created VisiCalc, the first PC spreadsheet
- Age
- 77 yrs
- Birthday in 221 days
- Works listed
- 1
- Software
- Honours
- 1
- Most recent 1981
- Profile views
- 0
- 0 followers
Bob Frankston is an American software engineer who wrote the code for VisiCalc, the first spreadsheet program for personal computers, based on Dan Bricklin’s idea. Together they founded Software Arts. He later worked at Lotus and Microsoft and campaigns for open networks.
Biography
Background
Frankston attended Stuyvesant High School and MIT, where he worked on the Multics system.
VisiCalc
In 1979 he wrote VisiCalc in assembly language on a mainframe, fitting it into the Apple II’s 32 KB memory.
Lotus and Microsoft
After Lotus bought Software Arts in 1985 he worked there on Lotus Express, then at Microsoft, where he promoted home networking in Windows.
Writing
He writes essays on internet policy, arguing for treating connectivity as infrastructure.
Timeline
-
1949
Born in Brooklyn, New York, United States
-
1966
Begins programming at MIT
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1979
VisiCalc
-
1985
Lotus acquires Software Arts
-
1993
Joins Microsoft
Notable works
-
1979
VisiCalc Software
With Dan Bricklin.
Awards and honours
-
Grace Murray Hopper Award
1981
Did you know?
-
1
VisiCalc was written in about a year.
-
2
He writes a long-running blog about connectivity and technology.
-
3
He was an early user of Multics.
Connections
Frequently asked
Who is Bob Frankston?
Bob Frankston is an American software engineer who wrote the code for VisiCalc, the first spreadsheet program for personal computers, based on Dan Bricklin’s idea. Together they founded Software Arts. He later worked at Lotus and Microsoft and campaigns for open networks.
How old is Bob Frankston?
Bob Frankston is 77 years old, born on 14 June 1949 in Brooklyn, New York, United States.
Where is Bob Frankston from?
Bob Frankston was born in Brooklyn, New York, United States.
What is Bob Frankston known for?
Bob Frankston is best known for Writing VisiCalc (1979) with Dan Bricklin; Software Arts; home-networking advocacy.
What awards has Bob Frankston received?
Notable honours include Grace Murray Hopper Award (1981).
References
- Bob Frankston — Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Official website. www.frankston.com. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Bob Frankston (Q93026) — structured data. Wikidata. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
Includes material from the Wikipedia article “Bob Frankston”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. That text is available under the same licence. Learn more
External links
About this profile
- Researched by the TrackFame editorial team; reviewed by Sanjay Sokal under our editorial policy
- First published 4 November 2026
- Last updated
Cite this page
“Bob Frankston.” TrackFame, last updated 4 November 2026. https://trackfame.com/person/bob-frankston
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