Background
Hartill grew up in Wales, and studied computer science at University of Wales College, Cardiff where he earned a Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Philosophy.
Hartill grew up in Wales, and studied computer science at University of Wales College, Cardiff where he earned a Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Philosophy.
Cardiff University.
In 1993, he became involved with the rec.arts.movies database that went on to become the Internet Movie Database (IMDb). On 5 August 1993 he announced the first web version of the database. In 1994, Hartill moved to Los Alamos in New Mexico to work at the Los Alamos National Laboratory on the ArXiv.org e-print archive with Paul Ginsparg.
In 1994, Hartill was one of only six inductees in the World Wide Web Hall of Fame announced at the first international conference on the World Wide Web.
In 1996, the Internet Movie Database was founded, and Rob returned to Ogmore-by-Sea in Wales before leaving the IMDb in 2000 and emigrating to South Australia in May 2003. He"s currently a volunteer fire-fighter with the Country Fire Service and a hobby farmer.