backup pumpkin ==>
pumpkin
<jargon> A humourous term for the token - the object (notional or real)
that gives its possessor (the "pumpking" or the "pumpkineer") exclusive access
to something, e.g. applying patches to a master copy of source (for which the
pumpkin is called a "patch pumpkin").
Chip Salzenberg <chip@perl.com> wrote:
David Croy once told me once that at a previous job, there was one tape drive
and multiple systems that used it for backups. But instead of some high-tech
exclusion software, they used a low-tech method to prevent multiple simultaneous
backups: a stuffed pumpkin. No one was allowed to make backups unless they had
the "backup pumpkin".
(1999-02-23)
Nearby terms:
pull-down menu « pull media « Pulse Code Modulation «
pumpkin » pumpkineer » pumpking » punch card
