OS/2 2.0 supports the concurrent processing of tasks, permitting users to perform tasks while one or many others are processing. This reduces waiting time and improves user response times and efficiency. The management of processes and threads running in the system is simplified and enhanced under OS/2 2.0 in the following areas:
Under OS/2 2.0, all applications run as protect-mode processes. They are provided with preemptive multitasking (which enables a higher priority task to be scheduled after some system event occurs, such as an I/O interrupt) and full memory protection between processes.
Depending on the display adapter installed, users generally can run their applications in a window or full screen, in graphics or text modes, and in the foreground or background. Full-screen operation in the foreground might be required or preferred for some advanced, graphical applications when performance or timing considerations are critical.