Banana Problem

What Does Banana Problem Mean?

A banana problem, in IT, describes an algorithm, piece of code or technology artifact that has vague delimiters or problems with definition or scope. A banana problem may be similar to a fencepost error, which is described as a “problem with the discrete equivalent of a boundary condition.”

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Techopedia Explains Banana Problem

In a banana problem, it is difficult to tell where a program is supposed to stop. The phrase comes from a joke about the word banana, in which a child says: “I know how to spell banana, but I don’t know when to stop.” Likewise, in a conventional fencepost error, people or machines make mistakes on estimating where a boundary is. Programs with iterative loops can be vulnerable to fencepost errors, where a designer or developer miscounts and causes a code problem. The term “banana problem” can be used loosely to refer to a range of similar design problems.

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Margaret Rouse

Margaret Rouse is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical, business audience. Over the past twenty years her explanations have appeared on TechTarget websites and she's been cited as an authority in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine and Discovery Magazine.Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages. If you have a suggestion for a new definition or how to improve a technical explanation, please email Margaret or contact her…