Gary Koffler

Gary Koffler
Koffler, Gary
Occupation	Founder

Career

From Fish Tanks to Floppy Disks

Gary Koffler entered the personal computer industry from an unlikely starting point: the aquarium supply business. While working as a salesman for fish and aquarium equipment, he met Dave Mosher, a fellow salesman who was experimenting with early microcomputers. The two bonded over the Apple II, then still a novel and scarce device, and began trading software informally on cassette tape.

Koffler was already building a wide network of contacts in the early Apple II community, which positioned him to become a key figure in the emerging third-party software scene.

Co-Founding Softape

After being introduced to William V. R. Smith and Bill Depew, Koffler co-founded Softape in late 1977. His role focused on sales and distribution, where he leveraged his growing network to circulate software nationwide at a time when no formal distribution channels for microcomputer software yet existed.

Koffler helped design the Softape Software Exchange, a pioneering effort to crowdsource and distribute cassette-based programs. He also helped market early titles like Advanced Dragon Maze, Saucer War, and Apple 21, among the first commercially available software for the Apple II.

Influencing Early Game Distribution

Koffler’s networking and sales skills made Softape one of the first successful Apple II publishers, helping to distribute work by developers like Bob Bishop, Steve Baker, and Gary Shannon. He facilitated the company’s outreach to Apple dealers and helped shape Softape's cassette distribution strategy, duplicating software in bulk.

Post-Softape Career and Datamost

Following a falling out with Smith and Depew, Koffler left Softape before it was renamed Artsci. He later joined Datamost, a software company founded by David Gordon, who had also been a customer and friend from the early Rainbow Computing scene.