Why Does Your C++ Program’s Memory Look Like This? From Punch Cards to Virtual Memory
This article traces the evolution of memory layout from early punched‑card computers through assembly‑level innovations, segment‑based designs, and virtual memory, then demonstrates a real 32‑bit Linux C++ program showing where globals, stack, heap, and mapped regions reside, and explains how this knowledge helps debug segmentation faults, stack overflows, and memory leaks.
