Alpha is the new Beta, Beta is the new Release.

I can't recall exactly when it became ok for software development companies to release their product when it reached the 75% complete milestone, but I can't even describe the things I'd to whoever set the trend. I can remember a day when you could go buy a piece of software off the shelf, take it home, install it, and then actually run it without having to update it or patch it first. Then it seems like overnight every game company out there started releasing games in "beta" condition. Unfortunately some of those games were highly anticipated and were sold despite not being a complete and finished product. And thus the precedent was born.

I have been unable to pin down who the first culprits were that actually turned this into a standard, but I'd appreciate any info or help tracking them down. Ok, so at that point it was only game companies releasing unfinished software as the norm, but it seems over the past few years that trend has leaked over into the business application world. As both a gamer and an IT professional, I can see how game companies got away with it, but I simply can't wrap my brain around huge companies putting up with flawed software after shelling out huge wads of cash. My stance on many things in life has always been "vote with your money", and I think its time for consumers to set software companies everywhere back on the right track.

*disclaimer - A certain OS and application company was excluded upon writing this rant on the basis that this rant is directed at an entire industry and not a particular company. And it would have thrown the entire basis of the rant off to include it.