What are the differences between multitasking and multiprocessing?

What are the differences between multitasking and multiprocessing?

Multitasking refers to the ability of an operating system to manage multiple tasks at the same time, while multiprocessing involves using multiple processors to execute multiple processes simultaneously.

Can you give me an example of each?

Sure! An example of multitasking is when you run a web browser and a music player at the same time on a single-core CPU. Multiprocessing would be like running a video editing software on one CPU core while simultaneously running a rendering process on another core.

Which one is more efficient?

It depends on the context. Multiprocessing can be more efficient for CPU-intensive tasks since it utilizes multiple cores, while multitasking is more about managing multiple tasks on a single core.

Are there any downsides to either approach?

Yes, multitasking can lead to context switching overhead, which can slow down performance. Multiprocessing can require more resources and may lead to increased complexity in managing processes.