Linux operating systems have a number of tools that allow you to manage running processes. At the same time, you can view the list of running applications both by means of the system and using a special applet.
Viewing through the "Terminal"
To view running processes in the system, press the key combination Ctrl and T on the keyboard. You can also invoke the terminal via the desktop shortcut (if available) or the Applications menu at the top of the Gnome window manager. To access the program menu through KDE, use the bottom panel of the system and the similar item "Programs". In the window that appears, use the keyboard to type ps and press Enter. You will be presented with a list of processes running in the current session of the system. If you are running as root ("Administrator"), enter the sudo ps –ax command to view all executable programs.
Through ps, you can only view the currently running tasks. The alternative top command allows you to track the processes that are currently running on the system, as well as the memory area occupied by other network or computer users. At the same time, top displays tasks in real time, which makes it possible to track the activity of running programs.
Deleting processes is done by calling the kill command. For a list of available options for managing applications, enter kill –l. To remove a specific task from RAM, you need to specify the command identifier (for example, kill top). To kill the process tree, use the killall query (for example, killall vmware).
Graphical control
In the Synaptic repositories or Package Manager, you can download graphical programs that allow you to visually manage running processes. To view the list of tasks, you can select YaST, which also allows you to change some system parameters. You can use the KDE System Guard to manage applications in KDE.
The GNOME GUI also has a System Monitor applet. To activate it, right-click on the top or bottom panel of the system, and then click "Add applet" - "System monitor" ("Add to panel" - "Applets" - "System monitor"). After that, click on the corresponding icon with the left mouse button. A list of processes will appear in front of you. You can view all running applications by selecting the "View" - "All Processes" menu. To view or delete a running task, you can right-click in the corresponding line and select “Finish”. If necessary, you may be required to enter the root password if you want to terminate another user's program.
