Can you explain what is meant by 'process' in the context of operating systems?

In the context of operating systems, a process is an instance of a running program. A process contains the program code, data, processor state (registers, instruction pointer), call stack, and memory space for dynamic data. The OS manages processes by allocating resources (CPU time, memory, files) and ensuring isolation between them.

A process is an active object, unlike a program, which is simply a set of instructions. For example, when launching a text editor, a process is created that executes the editor's code and stores the current user data.

Example: in Linux, you can see a list of processes using the ps or top command.