From Source Code to a Running Process
The lesson uses a tiny C program to distinguish compiler output, object files, symbol resolution, executable segments, and process startup. A visual memory map labels code, data, stack, and dynamically linked libraries while explaining that virtual addresses are translated by the operating system and hardware.
The final scene compares a native executable with bytecode executed by a virtual machine, emphasizing that implementation stages vary and can coexist. A short exercise asks viewers to identify which component handles each event: compiler, linker, loader, runtime, CPU, or kernel. Companion material: source-to-process article and compile/link/load flow.
Related articles
A Program's Journey From Source Code to a Running Process
Follow compilation, linking, loading, address spaces, and the first instructions that turn a program into a running process.
System Calls: The User-Kernel Boundary
How applications request kernel services through system calls, the cost of mode switching, and common syscall patterns.
What Is a Process?
A process is an executing program with its own memory, state, and identity, tracked by the kernel through a process control block.
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