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.