# A programmer's view of the Universe, part 2: Mario Kart

DevFeed: [A programmer's view of the Universe, part 2: Mario Kart](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/a-programmer-s-view-of-the-universe-part-2-mario-kart-38768.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://steve-yegge.blogspot.com/2008/12/programmers-view-of-universe-part-2.html>)

Author: Steve Yegge (noreply@blogger.com)

Published: 2008-12-27T11:32:00Z

Content type: opinion

Language: en

Sources: [Steve Yegge](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/steve-yegge.md>)

Topics: [Embedded Systems](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/embedded-systems.md>), [systems](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/systems.md>)

Tags: [computer](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/computer.md>), [embedded](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/embedded.md>), [embedded-systems](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/embedded-systems.md>), [games](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/games.md>)

## AI overview

This second installment of a discussion series examines embedded systems through examples including fish tanks and computer games. It describes them as self-contained ecosystems operating within a host system and introduces the One-Way Wall as a central concept.

## Source excerpt

This is the second installment of a little series of discussions. They're not much more than that, just discussions. And I hope I'm inviting discussion rather than quenching it. But I'll be honest -- the goal of this series is to pound a stake through the heart of a certain way of thinking about the world that has become quite popular. If my series fails in that regard, I hope it may still provide some entertainment value. Part one, The fish, was about a twisty line and a fish's examination of it. Today we move to a twisty plane. Embedded Systems There are many kinds of computer programs, and many ways to categorize them. One of the broadest and most interesting program categories is embedded systems. These systems are the centerpiece of today's little chat. Embedded systems are a bit tricky to define because they come in so many shapes and sizes. Loosely speaking, an embedded system is a little world of its own: an ecosystem with its own rules and its own behavior. So an embedded system need not even be a computer program: a fish tank is also a kind of embedded system. We call them embedded systems because they exist within the context of a host system. The host system provides the machinery that allows the embedded system to exist, and to do whatever it is that the embedded system likes to do. For fish tanks, the host system is the tank itself, which you may purchase from a pet store. A tank has walls for holding the water in, filters and pumps for keeping the water clean, lights for keeping the fish and plants alive a little longer, and access holes for putting your hand through to clean the tank. There's not much to it, really. The embedded system is everything inside: the water, the plants, the rocks, the fish, and the little treasure chest with bubbles coming out. For computer games, another popular kind of embedded system, the host system is the computer that runs the game: a PC, a game console, a phone, anything that can make a game exist for a while so that