RE: AS/400 and Java

> From: Booth Martin
>
> Actually that phrase is pretty much cited as the turning point in
> Ford Motor
> Company's fortunes.  Within a remarkably short time Chevrolet
> surpassed Ford
> s car sales and Ford was more than 50 years trying to become more than a
> distant second to Chevrolet and GM.

"Pretty much cited" by whom?  Maybe the published history is wrong and
you're right Booth, but here's what I find:

==========
"When Henry Ford first produced his famous "T" Model in 1908, he was
determined to reduce costs, his ideal was to produce a light and inexpensive
car that could be afforded by the masses.

Henry Ford did not invent the assembly line, but he certainly brought the
idea to a new level of efficiency. A continuous conveyor belt system allowed
car bodies and parts to arrive at each section for ongoing construction.
Earlier model Town Cars with their bright brass radiators, lamps, horns and
six colour range were soon to disappear. From 1914 the bright work was gone,
and black was the only colour available on "T" Model Fords.

On the 26th of May 1927 the final "T" Model rolled of the assembly line, it
was the fifteen millionth car produced.

The Black paint selected by Henry was "Black Japan enamel" it was found to
be the only paint that would dry fast enough for the new assembly line!"
==========

According to this history (and others I can cite), black was chosen because
it dried fast, and also because it simplified the process, allowing Henry
Ford to mass produce 15 million cars and at the same time push all the
previous cars (the brightly colored town cars) out of business.  It's no
coincidence that most pictures of the 1910's and 1920's show streets
primarily populated with black Model T Fords.

Chevrolet did begin to catch up in the late 20's, although they used a
technique that would make Billo Gates proud: "Between 1927 and 1930,
Chevrolet purchased and destroyed 650,000 used cars in an effort to prop up
the market for new vehicles."

As late as 1923, 15 years after its introduction and nearly 10 years after
the "black only" edict, the Model T still represented over half the cars
produced in the US.  The T's ultimate demise several years later was due not
just to color, but also to lack of feature/function.  By that time, black
was equated to Ford and Ford was thought of as out of date, so the very
thing that helped Ford in the early years became a liability later,
something that happens over and over again in every industry.  But to say
that Henry's limiting the Ford Model T to black caused its demise is pretty
inaccurate.   Instead, the phrase "Any color as long as it's black" was
actually very successful, and sparked the creation of a 15-year monopoly the
likes of which has rarely been seen in American industry.

Or perhaps you have some alternate references?

Joe

Figures and citations courtesy of:

www.aaca.org  Antique Automobile Club of America
www.cyprus-mail.com   Cyprus Sunday Mail
www.v8racing.com  V8 Racing.com