I'm looking for some general direction on where I can learn more about "process management" (forking, etc.). The best I can gather is that "process management" is just another term for "multitasking" in a UNIX enviornment. I've been reading Chapter 14 of "Learning Perl" and merlyn recommends I "should probably study up on the fork (2) and exec (2) system calls in a traditional UNIX text." But rather than running out and buying a UNIX book, I'd rather find a beginner's guide to process management. Does anyone know of such a beast on the web somewhere? I just want to know some real basic stuff to help me conceptualize it better:

What precisely is process management?
Why would you use it?
What are some common uses for it in Perl?

Thanks for any help you can offer.

$PM = "Perl Monk's";
$MCF = "Most Clueless Friar";
$nysus = $PM . $MCF;