Process

/ˈprəʊ.sɛs ˈpraɪ.ɒr.ɪ.ti/

noun — “because some processes are more impatient than others.”

Process Priority is a scheduling attribute assigned to each process by the operating system that determines how much CPU time it should receive relative to other processes. By assigning different Process Priority levels, the OS can ensure that critical tasks run promptly while less urgent tasks wait their turn.

/ˈprəʊ.sɛs kənˈtrəʊl blɒk/

noun — “the backstage pass that lets the OS keep tabs on every running process.”

Process Control Block (PCB) is a data structure used by an operating system to store all the critical information about a specific process. Think of it as the OS’s personal notebook for each process, containing everything it needs to schedule, manage, and track the execution of that process safely and efficiently.

/ˈmʌl.tiˌtæsk.ɪŋ/

noun — “when your computer pretends it can walk, chew gum, and juggle at the same time.”

Multitasking is the operating system’s ability to manage multiple processes or tasks concurrently, giving the illusion that several programs are running simultaneously. Instead of dedicating all CPU time to a single process, Multitasking shares processing power among several tasks, rapidly switching context so that users perceive simultaneous execution.

/rɪˈzɔːrs ˈlɪmɪt/

noun — “the operating system’s way of saying: share your toys.”

Resource Limit is a control mechanism used by an operating system to cap how much of a system’s finite resources a process or user can consume. It exists to prevent a single program from monopolizing CPU time, memory, file handles, or other shared system assets.

/dʒɑːb kənˈtroʊl/

noun — “telling your processes who’s boss without lifting a finger.”

Job Control is a feature of Unix-like operating systems that lets users manage multiple processes (jobs) from a single shell or Command Line Interface. It enables starting, stopping, pausing, resuming, and monitoring background and foreground jobs efficiently, giving the illusion of multitasking while keeping the user in command.

/ˌɪn.tər ˈprɑː.ses kəˌmjuː.nɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/

noun — “how processes gossip without spilling secrets.”

Inter-Process Communication (IPC) is the set of mechanisms and protocols that allow separate processes within an operating system to exchange data, signals, or messages. Since each process typically runs in its own memory space, IPC provides controlled pathways to share information safely and efficiently, enabling collaboration without causing chaos or memory collisions.

/ˈkɑːn.tɛkst swɪʧ/

noun — “the CPU’s way of juggling tasks without dropping any balls.”

Context Switch is the process by which a CPU saves the state of a currently running process or thread and restores the state of another so that execution can continue from where it left off. This mechanism is essential for multitasking in modern operating systems, allowing a single processor to give the illusion of simultaneously running multiple processes while actually switching rapidly between them.

/ˈɛɡ.zɪt koʊd/

noun — “the numeric truth a program leaves behind when it dies.”

Exit Code is a small integer returned by a program to its parent process upon termination. It communicates whether the program completed successfully, encountered an error, or experienced a specific failure condition. In information technology, Exit Codes are the silent reporters of program health, letting scripts, shells, and orchestration tools make decisions without reading verbose logs.

/ˈprɑː.ses ˈmæn.ɪdʒ.mənt/

noun — "the art of keeping programs alive, fed, scheduled, and occasionally put down humanely."

/ˈtɛstɪŋ/

noun — "proving your code works… before someone else finds out it doesn’t."

Testing is the systematic process in information technology of evaluating software to ensure it behaves as expected, meets requirements, and is free of defects. Testing helps detect bugs, validate functionality, and improve reliability, performance, and security before deployment.

Technically, Testing involves: