time-sharing

time-sharing

[′tīm ‚sher·iŋ]

(computer science)

The simultaneous utilization of a computer system from multiple terminals.

(industrial engineering)

Division of the time required for observation, decision making, and responding by an operator among the activities or tasks that must be performed almost simultaneously.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

time-sharing

(operating system)

(Or "timesharing") An operating system feature allowing several users to run several tasks concurrently on one processor, or in parallel on many processors, usually providing each user with his own terminal for input and output. time-sharing is multitasking for multiple users.

This article is provided by FOLDOC - Free Online Dictionary of Computing (foldoc.org)