(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)