- Running in the Background (the `/BG` switch)
  - By default, NeXtMidas commands run in the foreground (i.e. in place of the shell).

        nM> plot world.prm

    - When a command is run in the foreground, the `nM>` prompt will not return until the command is done.
  - A NeXtMidas macro or primitive can be told to run in the background (i.e. in a separate thread) by providing the `/BG` switch.

        nM> plot/bg world.prm

    - When a command is run in the background, the `nM>` prompt will return once the command has started. At this time, it is possible to start another command.
- Pipes
  - Another way to run commands in separate threads is by using pipes.
    - (This will be covered in the module on Macros.)

X-Midas Users Take Note:
When the `/BG` switch is used in NeXtMidas the primitive or macro is run in a separate thread. The statement running as a "background process." is not correct, though often used. This terminology is due to the influence of X-Midas and Unix.