Programmers Harsh Reality

Richard Garriott has a burning problem. The petroleum rivers on the volcanic planet of Arieki ignite when hit by lasers or flame, but for how long should they burn? "Do we let them burn forever?" he asks himself out loud. "Does the entire river catch fire, or just part of it? Do we program it to reset after 30 minutes?"

"the only way to know you've done a good job as a programmer is when nobody says anything"

How to Create a World