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 it to a lower priority. For now,
we'll just print a list of nodes and links; I'm working on the
graph-printing problem in background. Note that this implies ongoing
activity but at a reduced level or in spare time, in contrast to mainstream
back burner (which connotes benign neglect until some future resumption of
activity). Some people prefer to use the term for processing that they have
queued up for their unconscious minds (a tack that one can often fruitfully
take upon encountering an obstacle in creative work). Compare amp off ,
slopsucker. Technically, a task running in background is detached from the
terminal where it was started (and often running at a lower priority);
oppose foreground. Nowadays this term is primarily associated with Unix ,
but it appears to have been first used in this sense on OS/360.

