PATCH PUMPKIN


Meaning of PATCH PUMPKIN in English

transcription, транскрипция: [ n. ]

[Perl hackers] A notional token passed around among the members of a project. Possession of the patch pumpkin means one has the exclusive authority to make changes on the project's master source tree. The implicit assumption is that `pumpkin holder' status is temporary and rotates periodically among senior project members.

This term comes from the Perl development community, but has been sighted elsewhere. It derives from a stuffed-toy pumpkin that was passed around at a development shop years ago as the access control for a shared backup-tape drive.

Jargon File English vocabulary.      Английский словарь жаргона.