Multitasking


The ability to execute more than one task at the same time, a task being a program. The terms multitasking and multiprocessing are often used interchangeably, although multiprocessing implies that more than one CPUis involved.

In multitasking, only one CPU is involved, but it switches from one program to another so quickly that it gives the appearance of executing all of the programs at the same time.

There are two basic types of multitasking: preemptive and cooperative. In preemptive multitasking, the operating system parcels out CPU time slices to each program. In cooperative multitasking, each program can control the CPU for as long as it needs it. If a program is not using the CPU, however, it can allow another program to use it temporarily. OS/2, Windows 95, Windows NT, the Amiga operating system and UNIX use preemptive multitasking, whereas Microsoft Windows 3.x and the MultiFinder (for Macintosh computers) use cooperative multitasking.

Read Also:

  • Multithreading

    The ability of an operating system to execute different parts of a program, called threads, simultaneously. The programmer must carefully design the program in such a way that all the threads can run at the same time without interfering with each other.

  • munging

    (MUHN-jing) The act of altering an e-mail address posted on a Web page to make it unreadable to bots and harvesters that crawl the Web for e-mail addresses to include on spam lists. Munging is where the e-mail address is not fully written out but is still understandable to anyone reading the Web page. The […]

  • municipal Wi-Fi

    Often abbreviated as muni Wi-Fi, municipal Wi-Fi is a city-wide (municipal) wireless network, based mainly on 802.11 networking standards that provide high-speed Internet access within the municipality for free or low cost access when compared to standard broadband access fees. Municipal Wi-Fi networks are a type of wireless mesh network.

  • must-carry

    In digital television the term must-carry is used to describe the legal obligation of a cable company (the carrier) to carry analog or digital signal broadcasts.

  • mutex

    (1) Short for mutual exclusion object. In computer programming, a mutex is a program object that allows multiple program threads to share the same resource, such as file access, but not simultaneously. When a program is started, a mutex is created with a unique name. After this stage, any thread that needs the resource must […]


Disclaimer: Multitasking definition / meaning should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. All content on this website is for informational purposes only.