Simulation

The Spider Clan’s new order-processing site behaved well in the field, but the development environment was so unstable that the clan was unable to test its changes for more than a couple of hours each day. Now a deadline was fast approaching. The monks would have torn their hair out had they not already been shorn to prevent such an unseemly display.

“It is because the Laughing Monkey Clan keeps bringing their development servers down!” complained the head monk of the Spider Clan to one of the priests. “Without those services our code cannot query for user preferences or for the contents of shopping carts!”

“Our restarts are necessary,” said the head of Laughing Monkey. “We must deploy code throughout the day as well. Perhaps the Spider Clan could simulate the services they need. The data would be false, but the outages would not trouble them so much.”

“Unacceptable!” said the head of Spider Clan. “You would have us expend effort producing a poor substitute, merely to circumvent your failings!” He turned to the priest. “When the sun sets or hides behind a cloud, our scribe does not sit idle like his ancient predecessors, for his halogen lamp burns both day and night. The services of Laughing Monkey should follow this example, and be as dependable as the electricity which powers that steady glow!”

The head of Laughing Monkey considered this.

Late that night the head of Spider Clan was awoken by a tapping on his door. He gathered his robes about his person and called for the visitor to enter.

“At the request of Laughing Monkey I bring a small gift from my chambers,” whispered an old man’s voice. In came none other than the temple’s own scribe, who set a burning candle upon the table. “I sometimes find it necessary when there are storms.”