(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. (1995-01-31)