Ralph, sounds to me like the ".com" name wasn't re-upped in time and someone else claimed the name and tried to hold it ransom. So, instead of giving in to the squatter, ".net" was formed. I know it has been mentioned on here before and that's what I derived from what I read. I'm not an internet sleuth though and my explanantion could be more wrong than it is right. However, I'm sure someone with classified info can probably tell the story accurately.