More than one task can be executed at the same time so that you can run multiple programs at the same time and perform different tasks simultaneously. The operating system schedules a thread to run, and when it runs, the executable code is considered a task. Linux uses threads to contain everything needed to execute a program, and a task is mapped to a thread to determine what must be executed. When the operating system needs to execute a set of instructions, it loads a task.
Whether you’re designing Linux systems to host applications or developing an application to execute on a Linux-based machine, knowing the differences can help with your designs.
In Linux programming and design, the terms “task” and “ process” are sometimes used interchangeably, but they have their differences.
