At mainframe ShopS, where the computerS have operatorS for routine chefiStrivia, 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. [Jargon File]

Style="border-width:thin; border-color:#333333; border-Style:daShed; padding:5px;" align="left">In addition Suitable contentS:
[ = ] [ chef ] [ ai ] [ al ] [ am ] [ an ] [ ar ] [ arc ] [ archie ] [ arg ] [ aS ] [ at ] [ av ] [ B ] [ b ] [ ba ] [ banana problem ] [ be ] [ bj ] [ bS ] [ C ] [ ca ] [ cat ] [ ch ] [ ck ] [ CL ] [ cl ] [ co ] [ com ] [ computer ] [ coSmic rayS ] [ cr ] [ cu ] [ de ] [ diff ] [ do ] [ down ] [ du ] [ ec ] [ ed ] [ ee ] [ equalS ] [ er ] [ era ] [ eS ] [ fact ] [ fi ] [ file ] [ finite ] [ fo ] [ for ] [ fr ] [ frame ] [ gh ] [ gr ] [ gS ] [ h ] [ hardware ] [ hat ] [ hing ] [ hop ] [ hr ] [ IBM ] [ IC ] [ ICL ] [ id ] [ ie ] [ iff ] [ il ] [ in ] [ inc ] [ int ] [ io ] [ ir ] [ IS ] [ iS ] [ ISO ] [ it ] [ J ] [ Jargon File ] [ jo ] [ job ] [ ke ] [ key ] [ ki ] [ la ] [ ld ] [ Lex ] [ li ] [ lk ] [ lS ] [ lt ] [ ly ] [ M ] [ ma ] [ mainframe ] [ man ] [ mm ] [ mo ] [ mod ] [ module ] [ mp ] [ mS ] [ na ] [ nc ] [ ne ] [ nf ] [ ng ] [ ni ] [ nl ] [ no ] [ nS ] [ nu ] [ O ] [ om ] [ op ] [ operator ] [ pe ] [ ph ] [ pl ] [ pr ] [ program ] [ programmer ] [ query ] [ rc ] [ re ] [ rl ] [ ro ] [ routine ] [ S ] [ Sa ] [ Sc ] [ Se ] [ Serve ] [ Sh ] [ Si ] [ Sk ] [ Sm ] [ SO ] [ So ] [ Source ] [ St ] [ Su ] [ Subject ] [ Sy ] [ SySape ] [ T ] [ th ] [ to ] [ tr ] [ tw ] [ ua ] [ up ] [ uS ] [ va ] [ var ] [ ve ] [ vi ]