"Tim Douglass" wrote in message

Yeah, the manufacturers probably kind of banded together, although it
is unlikely that it was any sort of formal "freeze-out", but the main
thing it sounds like to me is that he just brought a poor business
model and they couldn't justify the cost, although the interest he got
from the manufacturers indicates some were seriously considering it.

I guess it will have to remain open to debate. All I know is that I've seen
and witnessed some really wicked (what I believed to be) collusion between
companies when they think a newcomer is trying to take some of the market.
Considering the avarice that is buried in most people's souls, my tendency
is to side with the notion of Gass being shut out ~ whether he was greedy or
not.