It sounds simple, but truly reliable software often turns out to be no more than a mirage.

1. Create self-healing programs, able to repair themselves (say, by reinstalling key files) when problems occur.

2. Create software that can patch and upgrade itself automatically. Many IT workers feel crushed by the constant need to download and install security patches for products like Microsoft's IIS Web server.

3. Beta-test their products to a much higher standard.

No application is ever bug-free.