multithreadingoperating-systemmultiprocessingmultitasking

Difference between multitasking, multithreading and multiprocessing?

Whats the difference between multitasking, multiprogramming & multiprocessing

This comes regularly for my university OS exams and I can't find a good answer. I know quite a bit about multitasking and multiprogramming, but need to confirm it.

Solution

  • Paraphrasing wikipedia:

    Multiprogramming - A computer running more than one program at a time (like running Excel and Firefox simultaneously) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiprogramming

    Multiprocessing - A computer using more than one CPU at a time http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiprocessing

    Multitasking - Tasks sharing a common resource (like 1 CPU) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_multitasking#Multithreading