Operating System Questions
A thread is a unit of execution within a process. It represents a single sequence of instructions that can be scheduled and executed independently by the operating system. Threads within the same process share the same memory space and resources, allowing for efficient communication and coordination.
On the other hand, a process is an instance of a program that is being executed. It consists of multiple threads, each with its own program counter, stack, and set of registers. Processes are isolated from each other and have their own memory space, making inter-process communication more complex and resource-intensive compared to thread communication.
In summary, the main difference between a thread and a process is that threads are lightweight and share resources within a process, while processes are heavyweight and have their own memory space.