:foreground: [UNIX] vt. To bring a task to the top of one's
{stack} for immediate processing, and hackers often use it in
this sense for non-computer tasks. "If your presentation is due
next week, I guess I'd better foreground writing up the design
document."
Technically, on a time-sharing system, a task executing in
foreground is one able to accept input from and return output to
the user; oppose {background}. Nowadays this term is primarily
associated with {{UNIX}}, but it appears first to have been used
in this sense on OS/360. Normally, there is only one foreground
task per terminal (or terminal window); having multiple processes
simultaneously reading the keyboard is a good way to {lose}.
-- The AI Hackers Dictionary
{stack} for immediate processing, and hackers often use it in
this sense for non-computer tasks. "If your presentation is due
next week, I guess I'd better foreground writing up the design
document."
Technically, on a time-sharing system, a task executing in
foreground is one able to accept input from and return output to
the user; oppose {background}. Nowadays this term is primarily
associated with {{UNIX}}, but it appears first to have been used
in this sense on OS/360. Normally, there is only one foreground
task per terminal (or terminal window); having multiple processes
simultaneously reading the keyboard is a good way to {lose}.
-- The AI Hackers Dictionary
Related:
- foreground vt.
[Unix; common] To bring a task to the
top of one's stack for immediate processing,
and hackers often use it in this sense for non-computer... - background: n.,adj.,vt. To do a task `in background' is to do
it whenever {foreground} matters are not claiming your undivided
attention,
and `to background' something means to relegate it... - background n.,adj.,vt.
[common] To do a task `in
background' is to do it whenever foreground matters are not
claiming your undivided attention,
and `to background' something means to relegate... - ITS /I-T-S/ n.
1. Incompatible Time-sharing System,
an influential though highly idiosyncratic operating... - trap: 1. n. A program interrupt, usually an interrupt caused by
some exceptional situation in the user program.
In most cases, the OS performs some action, then... - smart terminal: n. 1. A terminal that has enough computing
capability to render graphics or to offload some kind of front-end
processing from the computer it talks to.
The development of workstations and personal computers... - batch: adj. 1. Non-interactive. Hackers use this somewhat more
loosely than the traditional technical definitions justify;
in particular, switches on a normally interactive... - EOF: /E-O-F/ [abbreviation, `End Of File'] n. 1. [techspeak] The
{out-of-band} value returned by C's sequential character-input
functions (and their equivalents in other environments) when end of
file has been reached.
This value is -1 under C libraries postdating V6... - WYSIAYG: /wiz'ee-ayg/ adj. Describes a user interface under
which "What You See Is *All* You Get";
an unhappy variant of {WYSIWYG}. Visual, `point...
From the same category:
- A woman has got to love a bad man once or twice in her life to be
thankful for a good one.
Marjorie Kinnan... - The Norwegian Blue prefers kippin' on
its back... - Bo KNOWS
... - VIRGINIA:
A group of beautifully mounted hunters galloping behind... - noddy: /nod'ee/ [UK: from the children's books] adj.
1. Small and un-useful, but demonstrating a point....
