Multitasking, Multiprocessing & Multithreading
Multitasking
- Multitasking refers to the ability of an operating system to execute multiple tasks (processes or programs) seemingly at the same time.
- It improves system utilization by sharing CPU time among processes and making the system more responsive.
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Real-World Examples:
- Listening to music in VLC while typing in Microsoft Word.
- Downloading a file while browsing the internet in Chrome.
- Video call while sharing your screen and chatting.
- Mobile OS running WhatsApp, YouTube, and Camera apps together.
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Multitasking can be achieved in two main ways:
- Multiprocessing (using multiple CPUs/cores)
- Multithreading (using multiple threads in a single process).
Multiprocessing
- Multiprocessing refers to the ability of a computer system to execute multiple processes simultaneously using multiple CPUs or cores.
- It improves system performance by parallel execution of independent processes, especially for CPU-intensive tasks.
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Real-World Examples:
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Modern processors like Intel i3, i5, or i7 have multiple cores, allowing multiple processes to run simultaneously. For example, an i3 with 2–4 cores can run 2–4 processes in parallel, while an i5 or i7 can handle even more processes concurrently.
- Running multiple applications like VLC, Word and Chrome simultaneously on a multi-core processor.
- Scientific simulations or big data processing that split tasks across multiple processors.
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Modern processors like Intel i3, i5, or i7 have multiple cores, allowing multiple processes to run simultaneously. For example, an i3 with 2–4 cores can run 2–4 processes in parallel, while an i5 or i7 can handle even more processes concurrently.
Multithreading
- Multithreading refers to the ability of a single process to execute multiple threads concurrently within the same program.
- It improves application performance by allowing simultaneous execution of tasks within the same process, sharing memory efficiently.
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Real-World Examples:
- Web servers handling multiple client requests simultaneously using threads.
- Banking applications processing multiple transactions concurrently without waiting for each task to finish.
- Games and animation software updating graphics, audio, and input handling using separate threads for smooth performance.
- Downloading multiple files in parallel in an application like a download manager.
- Multithreading helps in concurrent execution but requires careful handling to avoid race conditions, deadlocks and synchronization issues.
In Java, we mostly focus on multithreading because threads can be created and managed programmatically, whereas multitasking and multiprocessing are handled by the OS and hardware.
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