nice

Purpose

Run a program at a lower or higher priority level.

Syntax

nice [options] program

Options

+n (n = number) adds n to the nice value (positive values are lower priority).

-n (n = number) subtracts n from the nice value (negative nice value indicates a higher priority).

Description

The nice command enables you to run a program at lower or higher priority. By default, programs run at the nice value of zero. Adding to the nice value decreases the priority, whereas subtracting from the nice value increases the program's priority. Only root can decrease the nice value.