co-founded 3Com in 1979. The other co-founders were Metcalfe's college friend Howard Charney and two others. Bill Krause joined as President in 1981 and became CEO in 1982 and led 3Com until 1992 when he retired. 3Com began making Ethernet adapter cards for many early 1980s computer systems, including the DEC LSI-11, DEC VAX-11, Sun-2 and the IBM PC. In the mid-1980s, 3Com branded their Ethernet technology as EtherSeries, while introducing a range of software and PC-based equipment to provide shared services over a local area network (LAN) using XNS protocols. These protocols were branded EtherShare (for file sharing), EtherPrint (for printing), EtherMail (for email), and Ether-3270 (for IBM host emulation). The company's network software products included: 3+Share file and printer sharing. 3+Mail e-mail. 3+Remote for routing XNS over a PC serial port. NetConnect for routing XNS between Ethernets. MultiConnect (?) was a chassis-based multi-port 10BASE2 Ethernet repeater. 3Server, a server-grade PC for running 3+ services. 3Station, a diskless workstation. 3+Open file and printer sharing (based on Microsoft's LAN Manager). Etherterm terminal emulation. Etherprobe LAN analysis software. DynamicAccess software products for Ethernet load balancing, response time, and RMON II distributed monitoring. 3Com's expansion beyond its original base of PC and thin Ethernet products began in 1987 when it merged with Bridge Communications. This provided a range of equipment based on Motorola 68000 processors and using XNS protocols compatibly with 3Com's Etherterm PC software. CS/1, CS/200 communication servers ("terminal servers") Ethernet bridges and XNS routers GS/1-X.25 X.25 gateway CS/1-SNA SNA gateway NCS/1 network control software running on a Sun Microsystems computer By 1995, 3Com's status was such that they were able to enter into an agreement with the city of San Francisco to pay $900,000 per year for the naming rights to Candlestick Park. That agreement ended in 2002. 1997–2000 In 1997, 3Com merged with USRobotics (USR), a maker of dial-up modems, and owner of Palm, Inc. USRobotics was known for its Sportster line of consumer-oriented modems, as well as its Courier business-class modem line. This merger spelled the beginning of the end of 3Com. In addition to consumer network electronics, USRobotics was a well-known manufacturer of a dialup access server, the "Total Control Hub", rebadged by 3Com as the "Total Control 1000", based largely on its Courier modem technology. This key business product competed against Cisco's AS5200 access server line in the mid-1990s as the explosion of the Internet led