Observe That For The Programmer, As For The Chef, The Urgency Of The
Patron May Govern The Scheduled Completion Of The Task, But It Cannot
Govern The Actual Completion.
Observe that for the programmer, as for the chef, the urgency of the
patron may govern the scheduled completion of the task, but it cannot
govern the actual completion. An omelette, promised in two minutes, may
appear to be progressing nicely. But when it has not set in two minutes,
the customer has two choices - wait or eat it raw.
The cook has another choice; he can turn up the heat. The result is
often an omelette nothing can save - burned in one part, raw in another.
-- Frederick P. Brooks, Jr., 'The Mythical Man-Month'
