Task (computing)

The term "multitasking" primarily refers to the processing sense – multiple tasks executing at the same time – but has nuances of the work sense of multiple tasks being performed at the same time.

Depending on the level of sharing, the task may be regarded as a conventional thread or process.

Tasks are brought into existence using the clone() system call,[8] where a user can specify the desired level of resource sharing.

The term task for a part of a job dates to multiprogramming in the early 1960s, as in this example from 1961: The serial model has the ability to process tasks of one job in an independent manner similar to the functioning of the IBM 709.

By contrast, the term "task queue" is commonly used in the sense of "units of work".

A sample thread pool (green boxes) with task queues of waiting tasks (blue) and completed tasks (yellow), in the sense of task as "unit of work".