Small Matter of Programming (SMOP) was among the "games" described, in a magazine article entitled "Big-System Games Programmers Play"[citation needed], as parallelling the Games People Play identified by Dr. Eric Berne in the field of self-help psychology. The game essentially consists of proposing seemingly simple adjustments to a design, and leaving to someone else the problem of fitting the unexpected consequences into the schedule.
The implication of using it is either
- to remind one's colleagues that every design change seems like a small matter of programming, until implementation starts, or
- to reassert by irony one's awareness of the danger of underestimating required effort.
The abbreviated form, SMOP, was also used as a 'friendly put-down' between several players in the MMORPG World of Warcraft. This use of the acronym originated in the guild The Eternal Balance, a guild that has since then been disbanded. Use of this has diminished since the end of the guild.
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