Dereferencing a null pointer

Question

Why I can't dereference a null pointer? That is, why I can't read/write memory which address is simply 0?

Does the base pointer of my process have a different address? If yes, is there a way to obtain the lower memory adders available for the default heap of my process?

Answer 1

A null pointer is not a pointer to "memory [whose] address is simply 0". It's just a special pointer that doesn't point to anything valid.

The C language says that there are no requirements on the behaviour of a program that dereferences a null pointer.

Answer 2

Why can't I make a phone call to 00000 000 000? I should be able to do this.