so far, all the tools we have used run interactively in your
terminal: that means that while this tool runs, you cannot
use the terminal for anything else.
task running in the terminal: foreground job.
other tasks: background jobs.
Job control commands
start a task as a background job:
sleep30&
stop the foreground job and return to the shell: [CTRL]+Z
list the jobs attached to your terminal session
jobs
Job control commands, continued
run a backgrounded job
bg%1
bring a backgrounded job to the foreground
fg%1
Job control
These commands are not meant for heavy load works. If you need to
run and manage multiple heavy tasks, it's better to rely e.g. on a DRM.
Screen multiplexer: GNU screen
it's a software that lets its users access multiple different terminal
sessions.
persistence: easily start working somewhere, and reconnect remotely from
somewhere else to continue working in the same session.
multiple sessions: work in multiple sessions and switch freely between
these sessions.
sessions sharing: let someone else access your session to work on it.