- Process:
- It is a program in execution.
- It is a unit of work in the modern time sharing system
- A process is of two types: 1. Operating System Process: It executes system code 2. User Process: It executes user code.
- A process includes:
- Program Code (text section)
- Current Activity (Represented by value of program counters and content of registers of process
- Process Stack (contains temporary data)
- Data Section (Global variable)
- Difference between a process and a program:
A program is a passive entity (Example: contents of file stored in a disk) whereas a process is an active entity (has a program counter specifying next activity to execute).