internet.com logo

ISP Glossary
Find an ISP Term
Search ISP Sites
Search:
Search internet.com
ISP Resources
ISP-Lists
ISP Glossary
ISP News
CLEC-Planet
The List
ISPCON
Free Newsletter

IT
Developer
Internet News
Small Business
Personal Technology

Search internet.com
Advertise
Corporate Info
Newsletters
Tech Jobs
E-mail Offers

internet.commerce
Be a Commerce Partner













I S P  G L O S S A R Y
Your source for the most up-to-date terms, definitions, and acronyms for and about internet service providers.

Search for an ISP term
by a keyword...
 
...or by category.
 

background
Last modified: Friday, March 19, 2004 

(n.) (1) Multitasking computers are capable of executing several tasks, or programs, at the same time. In some multitasking systems, one of the processes is called the foreground process , and the others are called background processes.

The foreground process is the one that accepts input from the keyboard, mouse, or other input device. Background processes cannot accept interactive input from a user, but they can access data stored on a disk and write data to the video display. For example, some word processors print files in the background, enabling you to continue editing while files are being printed. This is called print spooling . In addition, many communications programs are designed to run in the background. Background processes generally have a lower priority than foreground processes so that they do not interfere with interactive applications.

Even though DOS is not a multitasking operating system, it can perform some specialized tasks, such as printing, in the background. Operating environments, such as Microsoft Windows and the Macintosh operating system, provide a more general multitasking environment.

(2) The area of a display screen not covered by characters and graphics. The background is like a canvas on top of which characters and graphics are placed. Some monitors allow you to control the color or shading of the background.

  Related Links

Web page background FAQ 
The background FAQ provides answers to commonly asked questions about background colors for Web pages. Some of the sections include: browser support for backgrounds, attributes and parameters, style sheets, effects, how to converting colors to hexadecimal, and links to Web sites with background information and samples.

Related Categories

Graphics

Operating Systems

Procedures, Functions and Routines

Related Terms

foreground

multitasking

NTP

internet.commediabistro.comJusttechjobs.comGraphics.com

Search:

WebMediaBrands Corporate Info

Legal Notices, Licensing, Permissions, Privacy Policy.
Advertise | Newsletters | Shopping | E-mail Offers | Freelance Jobs