Almost-Reliable
A hammer is reliable in that it will usually do the job of a hammer, in the right hands, and as long as it is not expected to do anything else. The more complicated a thing, the more room for less reliability.
You don't want to bet your life on computer software, or hardware, if you can help it (we are constantly reminded of what can go wrong in the news). Ironically though, the computer revolution was driven by the need to get the unreliable human out of the system.
The Earth itself is only almost-reliable in many ways: volcanoes may erupt, disasters may happen, economies may collapse, and what lurks behind the next corner is anyone's guess.
Reliability differs from quality in that it is just one aspect of quality.
Certain things can be relied upon to lack quality (and many manufactured goods have a certain lack of quality or reliability purposely built in, . . . for your convenience). It seems that the only way to make some things is to give them a predictable half-life (before they reliably fail: light bulbs, automobiles, clothes, etc.).
Types/Categories:
1. Almost-reliably good: People, products, services. (Employees. Some gadgets. Many utility companies.)
2. Almost-reliably bad: People, products, services. (Repeat offenders.)
Examples:
Ol' Reliable.
They give licenses out to everyone that applies these day.
Batting better than average.
At least those "construction" and "wrong way" signs were accurate, even if the railways system as whole lacks reliability.
When you call, please try to disregard any heavy breathing that is accompanied by loud banging noises and loud screeching noises.
