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Wow it's the last column of the year and I feel that I should have something very profound to talk about at this time.

Unfortunately after spending long hours last night and even more time this morning fighting with the latest version of WordPress, an expensive new theme, and a site with thousands of pages I'm not in the mood for anything profound. I'm just tired and grumpy and so very sick and tired of people who release half-done updates for software for no other reason than they want to be seen to be busy.

I guess it's obvious that the battle with those elements that kept me awake for so long last night and up again early this morning was not a battle I won.

Right now if Santa Claus, the Fairy Godmother and the Tooth Fairy all appeared in front of me and offered me to give me anything I wanted for Christmas all I would ask for was a version of WordPress that worked perfectly right out of the box and never needed a security update.

Why do people release software that is so full of holes that it needs some serious third-party security plugins just to have a vague hope of never falling victim to a hacker? Why aren't those security features built right into the core? Of course I can understand that the very first version of WordPress might be released without much in the way of security features but we've been seeing WordPress updates for years and we still need third-party security plugins for basic protection.

Why, after so many years and updates has no one bothered to build those features into the WordPress core? Do those people who are so cool that they name their updates after jazz musicians think that it's ok to leave basic security features, such as locking people out after a number of failed login attempts, is to someone else?

Guys, it's time you pulled your heads out of your collective ass and got in touch with the real world. If you really want to be cool start building in the security features that we need instead off bullshit features like distraction free writing. Start producing a product that doesn't need third-party plugins that are so riddled with security flaws that tens of thousands of websites that use those plugins can be infected with malware in just one week.

Do you really think that by giving us a blank white screen you really are doing something special? If you really do want to give us a distraction free working environment then come on over and answer our phones, stop the neighbour's dog from barking, and help achieve world peace. Those things are cool, those things are special, distraction free writing is just wankerism.

If something like this was happening in the car industry or the white goods industry there would be instant recalls, compensation and senate enquiries. But of course software isn't an industry that impacts enough consumers to cause problems; it's an industry where we seem to expect products that don't work as they should and pointless updates that solve very little.

The software and online vertical seems to be one where, if you can reach a tipping point, you don't really have to fix anything, you just go on making money with regular updates because all your users have resigned themselves to something less than what they should be able to expect.

You only have to look at Google to see that. They are always telling anyone who listen that it's the quality of their search results that drives them but of course we all know that that's just hot air. They might talk a lot about it and they might seem to do a lot about doing 500 or more updates in a year, but if you can find one thing that Google did in the last 12 months that actually improved the quality and the relevancy of their search results I'd love to hear it.

All I have seen over the last 12 months is a gradual decline in quality and relevancy and I really don't expect that decline to ever be reversed. Why should it be reversed when shitty organic search results just lead to more people paying to play in Google's Adwords game?

Good organic search results were important to Google once, but not anymore. Now it's all about keeping the shareholders happy and the only way to do that is to keep the money pouring in and making businesses pay for good listings is an easy way to make money.

Yes, I did warn you that I was tired and grumpy and while I think the game that we play in is becoming harder every year I'm still optimistic. There is money to be made here online and if you're prepared to work had you'll make some of it ... and so will I.