This isn't precisely a Linux question more a Bash question. I've searched around on the internet and looked at Bash guides etc but nothing seems to have the info I need. So if someone can help please do.

I've noticed that on some distros (and other Unix's) when you run a program from an xterm, which will open in separate window, Bash will automatically background the process. For example if I run 'gvim' then it will open gvim (in using it's gui) but the command prompt (in the xterm) will still come back to the prompt for the next command. And it does this for all graphical programs. So I could just type 'gvim' instead of 'gvim &' or just 'netscape' etc etc.

Basically I'm lazy so I'm wondering if there is a way so that I don't have to type the '&' after everything. I know I can put in my bashrc a function for each program like:

function programname { command programname "$@" & }

but that requires me to do it for every single program that might launch a new window. Isn't there a way so that if a new window is launched then it automatically will background the process in the term?

>> I've modified this to make it easier to understand if anyone was getting confused.

I'm not sure I understand your question properly; is this what you are looking for:

"A listing of commands within parentheses starts a subshell."
See page 13 first line of http://www.tldp.org/guides.html#abs.

Well that's not exactly what I mean. I don't mean in shell scripts. I just mean from the standard shell prompt when I execute a program.

I don't think there's a software to do that, because the people who wants it is to lazy to program it. I'm joking. : )

I'm sorry, i think you'll have to type the & every time. Unless you create a sh interpreter.

bye &

I may be wrong here (Gurus please correct) but I think this is a programmed feature of the applications you run, i.e. these contain in their sources a fork() statement or some such which detaches the executable automatically from the starting process.

Well it's not just that I'm lazy.. perhaps forgetful also.. so if I run a program and forget to put the & then it can cause problems. Some programs don't let you input into them if you background them after they've started via a ctrl-z. I just know that when I was at uni we never had to type the & on Solaris. And my friend said that he thinks that he never has to also on his Fedora machine. So there must be a setting somewhere.. perhaps a list of programs in a config file or something. Or it could just be as JZL240I-U said and it has been compiled into some programs to do that.

If someone else could try out running programs without the & and telling me what the results are with different programs on different distros then we might be able to work this out