Abort

A computer is simultaneously running multiple programs, each of which require the execution of a number of processes, often simultaneously. However, processes will usually interact with other processes and, due to the differences in hardware and load on the system, will execute at varying speeds. A process may abort when it fails to receive the expected input, or is unable to pass the output to a linked process.

When a process aborts, it has the same effect as though that process had crashed. Poorly written applications may freeze / hang when one or more processes abort.