Sorry is this is digging up old graves, but searching for this one yields hundreds of hits describing online sources. I'm looking for comments on the non-internet, adverbial usages related to beginnings. An example might be, "We have a new model coming on line in three weeks." Part of me thinks that this is a questionable use. The other part of me fully understands the speaker and sees it as an efficient use of language. Your thoughts?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_and_offline

According to wiki,
"... online and offline are defined by Federal Standard 1037C."

and

"To be considered online, one of the following must apply to a device:
...
* Functional and ready for service"

"In contrast, a device that is offline meets none of these criteria (e.g., its main power source is disconnected or turned off, or it is off-power)."

This is for telecommunications usage. Probably others have co-opted the term.

although OED Online(!) lumps all these usages together under the common headword online (on the route of a railway line or airline, computing, engineering; on line, on-line, online), the earliest usage they have is the following:

1926 Econ. Geogr. 2 15 Approximately two-thirds of the coal handled by the system originated at on-line mines, and one-third was received from connections.

edit: this citation is evidently from the Journal of Economic Geography, a peer-reviewed academic journal published quarterly by Clark University since 1925.

here are some later adverbial cites:

1968 Daily Colonist (Victoria, Brit. Columbia) 28 Nov. 13/6 The Skookumchuck mill recently came on line, but none of the B.C.-produced pulp destined for Japan is in the present cardboard packages.

1975 Nature 9 Oct. 435/3 Domestic uranium reserves will be totally committed to those nuclear reactors which are brought on line in the next 20 years.

1989 Accountancy May 151/2 When it went on-line many considered it the most advanced automated assembly unit in Europe.

2000 T. Clancy Bear & Dragon xil. 580 They'd proven to the tanks of the North Vietnamese just how fearsome a foe a missile-armed chopper could be, and that had been before night-vision systems had come fully on line.

BTW, off-line (or offline) evidently predates on-line.

1919 Jrnl. Polit. Econ. 27 331 Another saving consisted in abolishing the off-line offices and setting the traffic department at other tasks.

Welcome, Quiltmaster

That's interesting.
I wondered after I posted that last one whether it might have had its origins with the assembly line. The earliest usages listed are shortly after the rise of Ford's assembly lines.

I wondered after I posted that last one whether it might have had its origins with the assembly line.

Or Railway Lines for that matter.

Amazing responses. Thanks.

Quiltie, welcome aBoard. This isn't really in response to your post; just one of my peeves.

Just don't let me hear that anybody is standing on line (at the bank, etc.). You can stand on A line, but you stand or wait IN line! Grr!!

Mo-o-o-o-meeee! They're using language in a way other than the way I would! Make them stop!!!

never came across to "on-line" it always been "online" isn't it?

in a word, no.

I think I saw you elsewhere, but just in case I did not,
WELCOME XJUS......