Mark Robbins
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Mark Robbins (b. Grand Rapids, Michigan 1947) is a computer software author, inventor, visionary, entrepreneur, and reporter. Robbins received a Bachelors Degree from California State University at Northridge in 1975.
In 1971, Robbins co-founded the original Dial-A-Joke telephone service. He designed and built the equipment which answered the phone and delivered the jokes. He also designed and built the answering machine used for the Superfone service run by the writer, producer and voiceover artist Joe Klein.
He created the Apple-Cat II modem and Com-Ware II communications software in 1979 for Novation, Inc., a modem manufacturing company. In 1980, he co-authored ASCII Express "The Professional" (aka. AE-Pro), a software communications program for the Apple II computer (DOS and ProDOS versions), sold by Roger Wagner of Southwestern Data Systems and later by United Software Industries, Inc.. The Apple-Cat II modem and Com-Ware II software was the first modem and software combination on a personal computer that offered 1200 bit per second file transfer, up from 300 bits per second. AE-Pro held the title of number one selling communications program for the life of the Apple II computer.
In 1983, he was the co-Founder, director, and Executive Vice President of Software Development for United Software Industries, Inc. (USII), a publicly traded company. He managed the development of ASCII Express "MouseTalk", a mouse-based software communications program for the Apple II computer released in 1986. It was the first mouse-based, full featured communications program developed on any personal computer.
In 1986, Robbins authored Firefile, also known as Rapid Transit, marketed by Bill French of Global Technologies Corporation. Firefile was a direct-connect file transfer utility designed to quickly move files between any IBM-PC compatible computers using the serial port. Firefile (aka. Rapid Transit) was the first communications program on an IBM-PC compatible computer to operate at a speed of 115,200 bits per second.
After Mousetalk and Firefile, he authored the first three versions of LapLink file transfer software for MS-DOS and DeskLink file transfer software, versions one and two for MS-DOS, and licensed them to Mark Eppley of Traveling Software, Inc. between 1987 and 1992. LapLink was on the PC Magazine list of top 10 selling PC software programs for many years in addition to being a finalist for PC Magazine’s 1987 Technical Excellence Award.
In the early 1990's, he was a technology reporter for The Denver Herald Dispatch Newspaper in Denver, Colorado.
In 2001, he was awarded a US Patent, number US 6,228,048 B1, by the US Patent Office for a precision low-flow water temperature controller and a pressure-to-gravity converter for use as a colonic irrigation apparatus and method.
