Question

What is a near pointer and a far pointer in C?

Answer 1

• Near Pointer: In general, the near pointer can be considered because it is used to hold the address, which has a maximum size of just 16 bits. We can't store an address with a size larger than 16 bits using the near pointer. All other smaller addresses that are within the 16-bit limit, on the other hand, can be stored. Because we can only access 64kb of data at a time, you might assume the 16 bits are insufficient. As a result, it is regarded as one of the near-pointer's biggest drawbacks, which is why it is no longer commonly used.
• Far Pointer: A far pointer is considered a pointer of size 32 bits. It can, however, use the current segment to access information stored outside the computer's memory. Although, in order to use this type of pointer, we usually need to allocate the sector register to store the data address in the current segment.