What is a Program?

A program is a file that resides on your hard disk. It represents code written in high-level programming languages that has been processed for execution.

Program Development Stages:

1. Source Code: Written in high-level languages like C++
2. Compilation: Use a compiler to convert source code to binary format
3. Binary File: The compiled executable file stored on disk
   • Linux: Typically exists as .out files
   • Windows: Typically exists as .exe files

The binary program remains a static file on your storage device until it's executed.

What is a Process?

A process is defined as a program in execution. The transformation occurs when:

• Your binary program is loaded into RAM
• The processor begins running the program
• The static file becomes an active, executing entity

Key Transformation:

Program (static file on disk) → Process (active execution in memory)

Process Memory Structure

When a program becomes a process, it's organized in memory with four main sections:

1. Data Section