In previous memos, I briefly mentioned that read()
and write()
functions in libc are wrappers of system call read
and write
. Note that they are very different animals not to be confused. In short, libc functions provide a higher-level interface for common programming tasks, while system calls offer direct access to kernel services and are used for privileged operations.
System calls, also known as syscalls
, enable applications to request services and resources from the operating system. By invoking specific system calls, applications can perform operations such as file I/O, process management, memory allocation, and hardware interaction. System calls facilitate privileged operations by transferring control from user mode to kernel mode, where the operating system handles the requested tasks.