posted 22 years ago
In common usage (but not legally binding, so you will find exceptions) a process is a large-grained thing started by the operating system. When we start a Java program, the OS starts the JVM as a process. A thread is a finer grained thing inside the process, managed by the process. So the JVM can manage many threads inside its process.
Another thing you hear about thread & process is that a process is "heavyweight" meaning the OS uses a lot of setup and resources and time to get one going, while threads are "lightweight" and can be managed with much less memory and time cost.
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A good question is never answered. It is not a bolt to be tightened into place but a seed to be planted and to bear more seed toward the hope of greening the landscape of the idea. John Ciardi
