NICE(1)

NAME
nice - execute a command at a low scheduling priority

SYNOPSIS
nice [-number] command [arguments]

DESCRIPTION
Nice runs command at a low priority. (Think of low and slow). If -number is not given nice assumed the value 10. The priority is a value in the range -20 to 20. The default priority is 0, priority 20 is the lowest possible. Nice will execute command at priority number relative to the priority of nice. Higher priorities than the current process priority can only requested by the super-user. Negative numbers are expressed as --number.

The returned exit status is the exit value from the command executed by nice.

EXAMPLES

$ nice -5 date

Execute command ‘date’ at priority 5 assuming the priority of the shell is 0.

# nice -16 nice --35 date

Execute command ‘date’ at priority -19 assuming the priority of the shell is 0 and you are the super-user.

SEE ALSO
csh(1), getpriority(2), setpriority(2), renice(8)

HISTORY
A nice command appeared in AT&T UNIX.

BUGS
Nice is particular to sh(1). If you use csh(1), then commands executed with ``&'' are automatically immune to hangup signals while in the background.

Nice is built into csh(1) with a slightly different syntax than described here. The form ‘nice +10’ nices to positive nice, and ‘nice -10’ can be used by the super-user to give a process more of the processor.