>>I work at NUMMI, and we build cars and trucks. This is a joint venture of Toyota and General Motors. If this company turned out products with the normal quality found with software – we would be out of business.
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>I hear this all the time.
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>The average peice of consumer software would then cost $12,000 and require the user to pass a test and pay for insurance just to use.
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>And I'm no mechanic, so I hope I don't downplay the complexity of a motor vehicle, but its taken almost a hundred years for Ford Motor Company to create a machine that can move and they're still being recalled like mad because theres something wrong with them. Meanwhile, Windows has evolved in 10 years to millions and millions of lines of code to do more sophisticated things, IMO, than move a passenger.

Mike;

I like to use the Toyota model. This is an interesting company in the automobile industry. In fact the Toyota Production System is the model of the industry. That is why General Motors joined a venture at this location 16 years ago - the first of it's kind in America. It combines a product with employees and customers for a quality product.

Did you know that Toyota is the 3rd best seller in the United States? They talk about "the big three" American car manufacturers. We have a backlog and this plant has not laid off one person since it opened it's doors. Very unlike the rest of the industry. There are hundreds of models of automobiles manufactured and sold in the United States. Toyota has 6 of the top 16 models produced in this country, according to J.D. Powers, who rates this industries quality.

The software industry needs quality and should find a means to approach this topic.

Tom