Idle

This article deals with the technical term data processing; for the expression of the net jargon see Idlen , for further uses see IDLE .

Idle (English pronunciation [ 'aɪdl ], for "idle" or "underutilized") or idle means in information technology that a process is idle or equipment remains unused.

On the one hand the idle (in the jargon also Idling called) undesirable as idle capacities reduce the efficiency of a system to the other empty runs are for energy saving measures used.

In this sense, idle is part of numerous IT terms, for example:

• the idle task , the idle process of an operating system
• the Idle Listening in computer networks
• the Idle Repeat Request (English literally for "empty repeat request "), a protocol in distributed systems
• the Massive Array of Idle Disks , an energy-saving hard drive network

In chats or multi-player online games, the term is used for players who are logged in but not at the computer, i.e. who have not been active for a long time.