In computing, the process identifier (normally referred to as the process ID or just PID) is a number used by most operating system kernels, —such as that of UNIX, Mac OS X or Microsoft Windows— to temporarily uniquely identify a process. This number may be used as a parameter in various function calls allowing processes to be manipulated, such as adjusting the process's priority or killing it altogether.
Read more about Process Identifier: Unix-like, Microsoft Windows, Pidfile
Famous quotes containing the word process:
“In contrast to revenge, which is the natural, automatic reaction to transgression and which, because of the irreversibility of the action process can be expected and even calculated, the act of forgiving can never be predicted; it is the only reaction that acts in an unexpected way and thus retains, though being a reaction, something of the original character of action.”
—Hannah Arendt (1906–1975)