North is not a programmer. Nanny, nanny, nanny. You don't have to be a programmer to read. Action 2000 is the British government's Year 2000 awarenress organization. Here is its assessement of the embedded systems problem.
Embedded systems are electronic microprocessors or chips that are built into pieces of equipment.
They exist in all computers, but more importantly in equipment throughout offices, factories, process plants, machinery, and vehicles. Often they operate, control, protect or monitor vital business processes. . . . Embedded systems underpin the world's business processes. Manufacturing processes are particularly dependent. Food, drink and clean water come primarily from processes that depend on embedded systems.