Mac OS X Panther in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition

Name

nice

Synopsis

                     nice [+
                     n] command
                  

Change the execution priority for command or, if none is given, change priority for the current shell. (See also nice in Chapter 28.) The priority range is -20 to 20, with a default of 4. The range seems backward: -20 gives the highest priority (fastest execution); 20 gives the lowest. Only a privileged user may specify a negative number.

+n

Add n to the priority value (lower job priority).

-n

Subtract n from the priority value (raise job priority). Privileged users only.