--- product_id: 219195478 title: "Fundamental C: Getting Closer To The Machine" price: "SAR 201" currency: SAR in_stock: true reviews_count: 7 url: https://www.desertcart.com.sa/products/219195478-fundamental-c-getting-closer-to-the-machine store_origin: SA region: Saudi Arabia --- # Fundamental C: Getting Closer To The Machine **Price:** SAR 201 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Fundamental C: Getting Closer To The Machine - **How much does it cost?** SAR 201 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.com.sa](https://www.desertcart.com.sa/products/219195478-fundamental-c-getting-closer-to-the-machine) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description C is a good language to learn. It was designed to do a very different job from most modern languages and the key to understanding it is not to just understand the code, but how this relates to the hardware. Fundamental C takes an approach that is close to the hardware, introducing addresses, pointers, and how things are represented using binary. An important idea is that everything is a bit pattern and what it means can change. As a C developer you need to think about the way data is represented, and Harry Fairhead encourages this. He emphasizes the idea of modifying how a bit pattern is treated using type punning and unions. This power brings with it the scourge of the C world – undefined behavior - which is ignored in many books on C. Here, not only is it acknowledged, it is explained together with ways to avoid it. A particular feature of the book is the way C code is illustrated by the assembly language it generates. This helps you understand why C is the way it is. For beginners, the book covers installing an IDE and GCC before writing a Hello World program and then presents the fundamental building blocks of any program - variables, assignment and expressions, flow of control using conditionals and loops. Once the essentials are in place, data types are explored before looking at arithmetic and representation. Harry then goes deeper into evaluating expressions before looking at functions and their scope and lifetime. Arrays, strings, pointers and structs are covered in separate chapters, as is bit manipulation, a topic that is key to using C, and the idea of a file as the universal approach to I/O. Finally, he looks at the four stages of compilation of a C program, the use of static and dynamic libraries and make. This is C as it was always intended to be written - close to the metal. Harry Fairhead has a hardware background and, having worked with microprocessors and electronics in general, for many years, he is an enthusiastic proponent of the IoT. His recent titles include Raspberry Pi IoT in C and Micro:bit IoT in C. His next, Applying C For The IoT With Linux at intermediate/advanced level is intended as a companion to this book for those working in a Linux/POSIX environment, in particular the Raspberry Pi. Review: Good book. - The basic things are explained briefly and clearly. Olavi Review: Perfectly written if your brain need to understand why to learn how - Genuinely surprised at how easy this book deals with concepts for those who are not already intimately involved with programming on a day to day basis. I am learning to code in C for use in 32bit microcontrollers and so they why something works is just as important as the how to do something, especially when it comes to troubleshooting. This is probably the 4th or 5th book I have worked through and until now the basic concepts (no pun intended) just haven’t stuck. The ‘oh that’s why it’s like that’ is so helpful to my way of thinking and by the end of a chapter I have many fewer questions than I started with, whereas other texts have just increased the question burden. Methods have their pros and cons discussed including aspects of the language that isn’t particularly useful but understanding that is also important. So pleased this is on kindle unlimited or I might not have bumped into it. Massive credit to the author. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | 362,238 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) 1,902 in Computing & Internet Programming | | Customer Reviews | 4.5 out of 5 stars 26 Reviews | ## Images ![Fundamental C: Getting Closer To The Machine - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61NmaT8EorL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Good book. *by O***R on 19 October 2025* The basic things are explained briefly and clearly. Olavi ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Perfectly written if your brain need to understand why to learn how *by J***S on 13 July 2021* Genuinely surprised at how easy this book deals with concepts for those who are not already intimately involved with programming on a day to day basis. I am learning to code in C for use in 32bit microcontrollers and so they why something works is just as important as the how to do something, especially when it comes to troubleshooting. This is probably the 4th or 5th book I have worked through and until now the basic concepts (no pun intended) just haven’t stuck. The ‘oh that’s why it’s like that’ is so helpful to my way of thinking and by the end of a chapter I have many fewer questions than I started with, whereas other texts have just increased the question burden. Methods have their pros and cons discussed including aspects of the language that isn’t particularly useful but understanding that is also important. So pleased this is on kindle unlimited or I might not have bumped into it. Massive credit to the author. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ One of the best books on 'C' *by B***0 on 18 August 2019* I am an experienced programmer and this book is one of the best I have ever read on the subject of 'C' and what makes it so different. I really never understood what was so special about 'C' until I started to read this book. Buy it you will not be disapointed if you are a beginner or an 'old' hand, great value. ## Frequently Bought Together - Fundamental C: Getting Closer To The Machine - Programming The Raspberry Pi Pico/W In C, Second Edition --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.com.sa/products/219195478-fundamental-c-getting-closer-to-the-machine](https://www.desertcart.com.sa/products/219195478-fundamental-c-getting-closer-to-the-machine) --- *Product available on Desertcart Saudi Arabia* *Store origin: SA* *Last updated: 2026-06-11*