one-banana problem

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 {sysape}s 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}.
    

one-banana problem

   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}.

   [{Jargon File}]