Low-Level Programming

High-level programming languages such as C# have revolutionized software development by offering a rich set of functions and abstractions that simplify development tasks, enhancing productivity and code maintainability. However, as powerful as these abstractions are, there are scenarios where more deliberate control over the system is required. These scenarios require understanding low-level programming techniques and can make up the difference between high-performance and slower applications.

Low-level programming refers to coding practices that operate closer to the hardware, allowing the developer to have more direct control of memory and system resources. In contrast to high-level programming, which abstracts away most of the complexity involved in these operations, low-level programming requires a detailed understanding of the underlying architecture, as well as memory management and performance optimization techniques.

This chapter will explore the...