NICE(1) | General Commands Manual | NICE(1)

# NAME

`nice` — execute a utility with an altered scheduling priority

# SYNOPSIS

`nice` | [`-n` increment] utility [argument ...]

# DESCRIPTION

`nice` runs utility at an altered scheduling priority. If an increment is given, it is used; otherwise an increment of 10 is assumed. The super-user can run utilities with priorities higher than normal by using a negative increment. The priority can be adjusted over a range of -20 (the highest) to 20 (the lowest). A priority of 19 or 20 will prevent a process from taking any cycles from others at nice 0 or better.

Available options:

`-n` increment
  A positive or negative decimal integer used to modify the system scheduling priority of utility.

# EXIT STATUS

The `nice` utility exits with one of the following values:

1-125
  An error occurred in the `nice` utility.
126
  The utility was found but could not be invoked.
127
  The utility could not be found.

Otherwise, the exit status of `nice` will be that of utility.

# COMPATIBILITY

The historic `-`increment option has been deprecated but is still supported in this implementation.

# SEE ALSO

csh(1), getpriority(2), setpriority(2), renice(8)

# STANDARDS

The `nice` utility conforms to IEEE Std 1003.2-1992 (“POSIX.2”).

# HISTORY

A `nice` utility appeared in Version 6 AT&T UNIX.

# BUGS

`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.

June 6, 1993 | NetBSD 11.0