ABSTRACT
Multitasking is a term that is fast becoming ubiquitous and refers to the ability to do more than one thing at once. People like to think of themselves as able to do this, but sometimes the results are questionable. Indeed, our fast-paced society has given rise to numerous warnings that people should slow down and do one thing at a time, avoiding the stress and increased errors that can result from human multitasking. With computers, though, multitasking is a good thing! When referring to computers, the term describes the operating system’s ability to perform several operations simultaneously, likely using several programs to do so. Thus the user can listen to a CD while answering e-mail. At the same time another function could be ongoing, such as the downloading of data from an Internet source. The computer accomplishes this feat by switching from one program to another so quickly that the user perceives the functions as occurring simultaneously.
