nice

Run a command with modified scheduling priority, print or modify the scheduling priority of a job.

SYNTAX
      nice [Option]... [Command [Arg]...]

OPTION
      -n MyADJUSTMENT
      -MyADJUSTMENT
      --adjustment=MyADJUSTMENT

Priority can be adjusted by 'nice' over the range of -20 (the highest priority) to 19 (the lowest). Default = 10

If no arguments are given, 'nice' prints the current scheduling priority, which it inherited.

Otherwise, 'nice' runs the given Command with its scheduling priority adjusted.

If no option for MyADJUSTMENT is given, the priority of the command is incremented by 10. You must have appropriate privileges to specify a negative adjustment.

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.

Examples

Run an echo command with low priority:
sudo nice -n 10 echo Hello

Run an echo command with high priority:
sudo nice -n -10 echo Hello

"Work is achieved by those employees who have not yet reached their level of incompetence" ~ Laurence J. Peter (The Peter Principle)

Related linux commands:

nohup - Run a command immune to hangups.
sync - Synchronize data on disk with memory.
sleep - Delay for a specified time.
Equivalent Windows commands: START /HIGH - Start a program with 'high' scheduling priority.