I originally published a version of this piece in July on my Forbes blog, but it continues to seem relevant. It was inspired by “cloud-based ” software we’d just purchased ourselves that continues to give us fits, and bears no reflection on retail tech providers. Itismeant as a cautionary tale, however.

When I was a CIO back in the day, I’d get into frequent debates with my peers. One philosophical question: “Is it better for new software to be on-time and buggy, or late and bug-free? ” To me the answer was a no-brainer. No one remembers if you were a bit late, but everyone remembers a buggy start. Here it is, twelve years later, and I’m feeling really old fashioned. Whether delivered late, early or on time, the software available for consumers just seems toalwaysbe buggy. Not just new software – but even seemingly minor updates. And not just small bugs either. We’re talking major glaring holes.

This leads me to the obvious question: Why does this happen? How can the industry be going forward and backward at the same time?

Brian has a theory he calls the “Functionality/Reliability Ratio. ” Basically, it goes like this: Developers action-pack software with useless (or almost useless) functions, but in the process, they compromise the reliability of functions thatdoget used. The purpose is obviously to get us to buy an upgrade. It’s a numbers game. But at what cost?

Here’s a Pop Quiz example: Apple iOS6. Was it delivered early, on time or late? I don’t remember and I’ll bet most of you don’t remember either. Pop Quiz Number Two: In the initial release of iOS6, how well did Apple Maps function? All together now: It didn’t! And if you’re a Microsoft Exchange user, you know the problems were bigger than that.

And that brings me to Pop Quiz Number 3: What new functions were released in iOS6 that we justhadto have? I can’t remember, so I searched back in time to find out. I found a site called “Lifehacker ” and an interestingarticle. Turns out the #1 new feature in iOS6 was supposed to be…wait for it…an entirely new version of Apple Maps. Oops. Google Maps worked well in the old release, but..well, there’s a war going on between Apple (iPhone) and Google (Android). The collateral damage? All the iPhone users who actually use the app (I don’t – yay for Verizon Navigator!). There are other features, like Passbook which I have only used for boarding passes and which has otherwise pretty limited functionality, but you get my point.

I’m using iOS as an example, but we could obviously go through the exact same story about Microsoft products. Can anyone yet understand why the MS Office interface has changed completely twice in the last three releases? How many hours of productivity have you lost hunting for menu items that you knew by heart last time around? And do we even want to start talking about Windows? Not today. Let’s just wish Mr. Ballmer well in his new endeavors.

In the slower-paced world of enterprise software, this is generally less of an issue – customers pay maintenance fees whether or not they get new releases. There are always some kinds of minor problems to be solved, tweaks to be made, the stuff is just complicated and integrated. Most enterprise software companies update a couple of times a year at best and their maintenance streams create reliable repeatable revenue. So they really do get their input from their user community. However, there’s change coming here as well. Cloud-based applications can bring a whole new level of uncertainty and surprises, because unlike “shrink wrapped ” or custom software, the user really has no control over whether or not to “take ” an upgrade. It just shows up.

And that brings me to the core of my rant: the “I just woke up this morning and discovered the entire application changed overnight. And I lost functions I really needed and liked, “problem. You’re familiar with it if you use Facebook. But it’s seeping out all over the place. Dangerously close to the enterprise software space.

So what’s the bottom line? Yes, the software industry is supposed to move faster than our historic global pace. Five year implementation cycles are a part of history. But as we move into the Cloud, I really hope we keep our feet on the ground and our heads OUT of the clouds. To quote a corny phrase, quality really should be Job 1.