| slovo | definícia |
banana problem
(foldoc) | banana problem
banana phenomenon
From the story of the little girl who
said "I know how to spell "banana", but I don't know when to
stop". Not knowing where or when to bring a production to a
close (compare fencepost error). One may say "there is a
banana problem" of an algorithm with poorly defined or
incorrect termination conditions, or in discussing the
evolution of a design that may be succumbing to featuritis
(see also creeping elegance, creeping featuritis).
HAKMEM item 176 describes a banana problem in a {Dissociated
Press} implementation. Also, see one-banana problem for a
superficially similar but unrelated usage.
(2010-03-20)
|
banana problem
(jargon) | banana problem
n.
[from the story of the little girl who said “I know how to spell ‘banana’,
but I don't know when to stop”]. Not knowing where or when to bring a
production to a close (compare fencepost error). One may say there is a
banana problem of an algorithm with poorly defined or incorrect termination
conditions, or in discussing the evolution of a design that may be
succumbing to featuritis (see also creeping elegance, {creeping
featuritis}). See item 176 under HAKMEM, which describes a banana problem
in a Dissociated Press implementation. Also, see one-banana problem for
a superficially similar but unrelated usage.
|
| | podobné slovo | definícia |
one-banana problem
(foldoc) | one-banana problem
At computer installations where the computers
have operators for routine administrivia, the programmers and
hardware people tend to look down on the operators and claim
that a trained monkey could do their job. The incentives
offered to said monkeys would then describe the difficulty of
a task. A one-banana problem is simple; hence, "It's only a
one-banana job at the most; what's taking them so long?"
See also Infinite-Monkey Theorem.
[Jargon File]
(2010-03-20)
|
one-banana problem
(jargon) | one-banana problem
n.
At mainframe shops, where the computers have operators for routine
administrivia, the programmers and hardware people tend to look down on the
operators and claim that a trained monkey could do their job. It is
frequently observed that the incentives that would be offered said monkeys
can be used as a scale to describe the difficulty of a task. A one-banana
problem is simple; hence, “It's only a one-banana job at the most; what's
taking them so long?” At IBM, folklore divides the world into one-, two-,
and three-banana problems. Other cultures have different hierarchies and
may divide them more finely; at ICL, for example, five grapes (a bunch)
equals a banana. Their upper limit for the in-house sysapes is said to be
two bananas and three grapes (another source claims it's three bananas and
one grape, but observes “However, this is subject to local variations,
cosmic rays and ISO”). At a complication level any higher than that, one
asks the manufacturers to send someone around to check things.
See also Infinite-Monkey Theorem.
|
|