An operating system (OS) is the software backbone of a computer, managing both the hardware and software resources and facilitating the execution of programs. One of the fundamental concepts within an OS is the process, which is essentially a program in execution. A process is the basic unit of work that the OS handles, ensuring that the tasks defined in a program are carried out efficiently.

Process Lifecycle and Management

A process goes through various states in its lifecycle, typically including start, ready, running, waiting, and terminated states. The OS is responsible for transitioning processes between these states, depending on factors like CPU availability, I/O operations, and program execution completion.