In 1992, students and researchers at the University of Illinois developed a graphical internet browser called Mosaic. The browser, while only distributed to 12 individuals initially, exploded in popularity when the files were shared peer-to-peer. After this initial explosion; James Clark, a founder of Silicon Graphics, met with the lead developer behind Mosaic to discuss the possibility of a new business venture. This business venture eventually became the browser Netscape. By 1995 Netscape became the biggest Internet browser on the Internet. Bill Gates and Microsoft did not appreciate the new competition, however, and saw them as a threat to their tech industry dominance. They arranged a meeting with their new rivals; however, how said meeting went down is debated. Netscape’s side of the story is that Microsoft gave them an ultimatum: an underpriced buyout or potential destruction. This resulted in Netscape soliciting the help of the U.S. Justice Department. Tensions began to rise further when Netscape called Windows a “set of poorly debugged device drivers.” This resulted in Microsoft developing their own Internet browser and software named Internet Explorer. This browser was solely focused on dethroning Netscape, with a nearly endless amount of funding and development behind it. Microsoft began bundling Internet Explorer with the Windows operating system for free, which made it easier to access than Netscape’s Navigator. On top of that, Microsoft’s salesmen used underhanded tactics to gain customers. Internet Explorer began chipping away at Netscape’s market share day by day, and eventually Microsoft completely dominated the market. Adding insult to injury; at the launch party for a new Internet Explorer update, a few drunken employees placed a 9-foot Internet Explorer logo in the Netscape Headquarters’ fountain. A year later, in 1998, the United States government went after Microsoft for predatory business practices. They were found guilty and ordered to split the company up; however, an appeals court thought their punishment was too harsh and rescinded the order.