(software) The idea of releasing a product to customers in an unfinished state and releasing patches afterwards for any bugs customers might find.
1995, Peter Bosch, “If Language Technology is the Solution, What, Then, is the Problem?”, in Language Engineering:
Even though it shares with some man-made technology what we call the banana principle, ie it ripens with the customer, this is a process of ripening that reliably yields fair results.
2000, Chris Coleman, The Green Banana Papers: Marketing Secrets for Technology Entrepreneurs, →ISBN:
The green banana principle is simple, and it's based on the 90/10 buying cycle. At any time, only ten percent of your target market is actually evaluating products for an immediate decision. The remaining 90 percent have either just purchased or are somewhere on the road to purchasing/repurchasing. Your job is to reach that 90 percent early and often so they hear about your company and your product from as many sources as possible.
2015, Reinhard Heil, Andreas Kaminski, Marcus Stippak, Tensions and Convergences, →ISBN, page 273:
Failures in installations, expensive recalls in the automotive industry, the recently established “banana-principle” in software systems development (deliver early and let it ripen with the costumer), rapid prototyping as a methodology which integrates users into the testing phases of components, innovation networks between developers and users in high tech industries all show that the process of getting the functionalities of new technologies right and reliable is not an easy goal to achieve.
2016, Karsten Löhr, The Science of Innovation: A Comprehensive Approach for Innovation, →ISBN, page 106:
Even early customers had to be somehow passionate and patient, because products were delivered premature and become mature just by laborious implementation onsite. This is called the banana principle of marketing, since bananas are picked unripe and ripened during shipment to become ready for market onsite. It seems to be a general method for the marketing of embryonic technologies, like the callow steam engine of Newcomen in 1712, the sober steam locomotive of Trevethick in 1804, the frugal motor carriage of Benz in 1886, the fragile motor airplane by the Wrights in 1903 or the homespun calculation machine by Zuse in 1941.
The idea that keeping quiet (as if you have a banana in your mouth) can improve communication.
1988, Chuck Snyder, Barb Snyder, Incompatibility: grounds for a great marriage!, →ISBN, page 131:
And don't forget the banana principle. It really works!
2003, Mark Finley, Solid Ground: Daily Devotional for Adults, →ISBN, page 174:
A woman once came to me and told me that she had learned to use the "banana principle" with her teenage daughter.
