real time
1. [techspeak] adj. Describes an application which
requires a program to respond to stimuli within some small upper
limit of response time (typically milli- or microseconds). Process
control at a chemical plant is the classic example. Such
applications often require special operating systems (because
everything else must take a back seat to response time) and
speed-tuned hardware. 2. adv. In jargon, refers to doing something
while people are watching or waiting. "I asked her how to find
the calling procedure's program counter on the stack and she came
up with an algorithm in real time."
