Editing Bob Wallace (computer scientist)

{{Infobox person
| name        = Bob Wallace
| image       = Bob Wallace 1977.jpg
| caption     = Bob Wallace in late 1977 (age 28)
| birth_date  = {{birth date text|May 29, 1949}}
| birth_place = [[Arlington, Virginia]]
| death_date  = {{death-date and age|September 20, 2002|May 29, 1949}}
| death_place = [[San Rafael, California]]
| occupation  = 
| known_for   = 9th [[Microsoft]] employee<br>Creator of [[PC-Write]]<br>Founder of Quicksoft
| spouse      = Megan Dana-Wallace
}}
<!--  Commented out because image may not have an adequate rationale for use here, solvable by expanding upon the rationale for use in this specific page: [[Image:Microsoft-Staff-1978.jpg|thumb|275px|right|[[Microsoft]] staff photo from December 7, 1978. <br/>'''Top row:''' [[Steve Wood (entrepreneur)|Steve Wood]] (left), Bob Wallace, [[Jim Lane is lame(Microsoft)|Jim Lane]]. '''Middle row:''' [[Bob O'Rear]], [[Bob Greenberg]], [[Marc McDonald]], [[Gordon Letwin]]. '''Bottom row:''' [[Bill Gates]], [[Andrea Lewis (Microsoft)|Andrea Lewis]], [[Marla Wood]], [[Paul Allen]].]] -->

'''Bob Wallace''' (May 29, 1949 – September 20, 2002) was an American software developer, programmer and the ninth [[Microsoft]] employee. He was the first popular user of the term [[shareware]],<ref name = "LA Times Sep 27 2002">{{cite news |last= Mclellan |first= Dennis |title= Bob Wallace, 53; Pioneer in Computer Software |work= [[Los Angeles Times]] |page= B–15 |date= September 27, 2002 |url= https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-sep-27-me-wallace27-story.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.takeourword.com/TOW176/page2.html |title= Take Our Word For It |date= 2002-11-14 |work= Words to the Wise, Issue 176 |publisher= The Institute for Etymological Research and Education |accessdate= 2008-09-08}}</ref> creator of the word processing program [[PC-Write]], founder of the software company [[Quicksoft]] and an "online drug guru" who devoted much time and money into the research of [[psychedelic drug]]s.

==Biography==
Bob Wallace was born in [[Arlington, Virginia]]. He first worked on computers as a member of an [[Explorer Scout]] troop sponsored by [[Control Data Corp.]]<nowiki/>in [[Bethesda, Maryland]]. His father was an [[economist]] who later became Assistant [[Secretary of the Treasury]] during the administration of [[John F. Kennedy]].<ref name = "LA Times Sep 27 2002" />

Beginning in 1967, Wallace attended [[Brown University]], where he worked on the pioneering hypertext [[File Retrieval and Editing System]] with [[Andries van Dam]] and [[Ted Nelson]].<ref name=nyt>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/26/business/bob-wallace-53-software-pioneer-dies.html|title=Bob Wallace, 53, Software Pioneer, Dies|last=Markoff|first=John|date=2002-09-26|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=2016-05-26}}</ref> After attending the [[University of California, Santa Cruz]] for two years (where he briefly majored in [[theatre]]), he received his undergraduate degree (1974) and master's degree (1978) in [[computer science]] from the [[University of Washington]].<ref name="BAM 2002">{{cite magazine |last= Lazowska |first= Ed |authorlink= Edward D. Lazowska|title= The Soul of the New Machine |magazine=[[Brown Alumni Magazine]] |date= November–December 2002 |url= http://lazowska.cs.washington.edu/Wallace.pdf }}</ref><!-- url was  http://www.brownalumnimagazine.com/november/december-2002/the-soul-of-the-new-machine.html -->

Wallace worked at the Retail Computer Store in [[Seattle]]<ref name=" Manes 1994">{{cite book |last= Manes |first= Stephen |authorlink= Stephen Manes|author2=Paul Andrews |title= Gates: How Microsoft's Mogul Reinvented an Industry and Made Himself the Richest Man in America |publisher= Touchstone, [[Simon & Schuster]] |year= 1994 |page= 94 |isbn= 0-671-88074-8}} "Bob Wallace was a programmer, organizer, counterculture figure, and employee of Seattle's laid-back Retail Computer Store."</ref> where he learned about Microsoft after [[Bill Gates]] put up a sign advertising for programmers. He joined Microsoft in 1978 as the 9th employee and his first project was to connect a computer to an [[IBM Selectric typewriter]] so the company could print software manuals.<ref name=nyt/> He was a key developer of [[TI BASIC]].<ref>{{cite book|title = Gates: How Microsoft's Mogul Reinvented an Industry and Made Himself The Richest Man in America|isbn = 0-385-42075-7|year = 1993|publisher = Touchstone|author = Stephen Manes and Paul Andrews}}</ref> In the late 1970s, Wallace and Gates were known for their practical jokes, and one incident involved breaking into a construction site and driving bulldozers, at one point almost running over Gates's [[Porsche]].

In 1983, Wallace left Microsoft to form Quicksoft and distribute [[PC-Write]] using the [[shareware]] concept, which he helped originate.<ref name = "InfoWorld Sep 1983">{{cite magazine |last= Markoff |first= John |title= Word-processing package costs $10 under new marketing scheme |magazine= InfoWorld |volume= 5 |issue= 38 |page=3 |date= September 19, 1983 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=1y8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA3 |issn= 0199-6649
}}</ref><ref name = "InfoWorld Jun 1984">{{cite magazine |last= Watt |first= Peggy |title= Software for a Donation |magazine= InfoWorld |volume= 6 |issue= 24 |page=36 |date= June 11, 1984 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=wy4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA36 |issn= 0199-6649}}</ref> Quicksoft soon had 32 employees and $2 million in annual revenue.

Besides Quicksoft, Wallace left Microsoft with stock that was worth as much as $15 million.{{r|nyt}} In 1996 he and his wife Megan Dana-Wallace started Mind Books, a bookstore that offered publications about psychoactive plants and compounds.  In 1998, they started the Promind Foundation, which helped support scientific research, public education, and [[harm reduction]] efforts related to psychedelics.

Wallace also served on the Board of Directors for the [[Heffter Research Institute]] and helped financially support the most important organizations in the field, including the [[Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies]] (MAPS), the Heffter Research Institute, [[Erowid]] (responsible for half of Erowid's funding from 2000–2002), [[DanceSafe]], the [[Center for Cognitive Liberty and Ethics]], [[EcstasyData]], Black Rock Arts Foundation, and a number of other projects.<ref name="Newsweek 2008">{{cite magazine |last= Interlandi |first= Jeneen |title= A Really Long Strange Trip |magazine= Newsweek |date= July 2, 2008 |url= http://www.newsweek.com/id/144399/page/2 |accessdate= December 20, 2008}}</ref>

Unexpectedly, he died of [[pneumonia]] in [[San Rafael, California]] at the age of 53. On hearing of Wallace's death, [[Paul Allen]] was quoted as saying, "I remember Bob as a gentle soul who was soft-spoken, but creative, persistent and meticulous in his programming and thinking."

==Northwest Computer Society==
The March 1976 issues of ''[[Byte (magazine)|Byte]]'' magazine had a notice about a new computer club in Seattle. Bob Wallace was listed as a contact person.<ref>{{Cite journal |url=https://archive.org/details/sim_byte_1976-03_1_7/page/74/mode/1up?q=%22bob+wallace%22 |publisher=[[Byte (magazine)|Byte]]|volume=1|issue=7|page=[https://archive.org/details/sim_byte_1976-03_1_7/page/74/mode/1up?q=%22bob+wallace%22 74]|title=Clubs and Newsletters: Seattle Club Activity |date=March 1976 |language=English}}</ref> The Northwest Computer Club held meetings at the [[Pacific Science Center]] (near Seattle's [[Space Needle]].)

Bob wrote a column for the newsletter called "Bob's Bits".   From the February 1978 column:
<blockquote>
"Microsoft is hiring systems programmer to work on [[APL (programming language)|APL]], [[BASIC]], [[COBOL]], and [[FORTRAN]] for the [[8080]], [[Z-80]], [[6502]], and [[8086]] as well as operating systems and other interesting projects. Applicants should have at least a bachelor's degree and a year of assembly language experience. Contact Paul Allen at (505) 262-1486, or write to them at 300 San Mateo NE, Albuquerque, NM 87108. Microsoft is the leader in microcomputer systems programming. I've applied myself, by the way."
</blockquote>
One of Bob's club projects was to hold a Personal Computer Fair at the [[Pacific Science Center]]. The April 1978 show drew over 5000 people and had over 60 computers on display for visitors to use. Shortly after that show, Bob finished his degree and joined Microsoft in [[Albuquerque, New Mexico]]. The Fair was repeated in March 1979 and drew over 6000 people.

==See also==
* [[History of Microsoft]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.erowid.org/culture/characters/wallace_bob/wallace_bob.shtml Bob Wallace Vault], [[Erowid]]
* [http://www.maps.org/media/bobwallace9.24.02.html Biography of Bob Wallace] at [[Seattle Times]]
* [http://lazowska.cs.washington.edu/Wallace.pdf Bob Wallace biography (as a PDF file)]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wallace, Bob}}
[[Category:1949 births]]
[[Category:2002 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Arlington County, Virginia]]
[[Category:Microsoft employees]]
[[Category:American psychedelic drug advocates]]
[[Category:University of Washington alumni]]
[[Category:20th-century American philanthropists]]