top and ps
top and ps display the processes on
your machine. They list the processes that are actually doing something
(ie. running) and the processes which are waiting for something to happen
(eg. like shells waiting for you to type a command, shells waiting for
some other program to finish, your X server waiting for you to move/click
the mouse or press a key, or many other programs simply waiting for
a timeout.)
ps shows you your process list and is very configurable
from the command line.
What top shows you is similar to ps
plus some info about how memory and CPU time is being used, and it
updates its display regularly.
Both these programs should already be installed on your Linux computer.
Use them from time to time and become familiar with what normally runs
on your computer.
Sample ps output
Sample top display
