<P> In computing, a process is an instance of a computer program that is being executed . It contains the program code and its current activity . Depending on the operating system (OS), a process may be made up of multiple threads of execution that execute instructions concurrently . </P> <P> A computer program is a passive collection of instructions, while a process is the actual execution of those instructions . Several processes may be associated with the same program; for example, opening up several instances of the same program often means more than one process is being executed . </P> <P> Multitasking is a method to allow multiple processes to share processors (CPUs) and other system resources . Each CPU (core) executes a single task at a time . However, multitasking allows each processor to switch between tasks that are being executed without having to wait for each task to finish . Depending on the operating system implementation, switches could be performed when tasks perform input / output operations, when a task indicates that it can be switched, or on hardware interrupts . </P> <P> A common form of multitasking is time - sharing . Time - sharing is a method to allow fast response for interactive user applications . In time - sharing systems, context switches are performed rapidly, which makes it seem like multiple processes are being executed simultaneously on the same processor . This seeming execution of multiple processes simultaneously is called concurrency . </P>

Which term means that an operating system can execute various processes simultaneously