I am a beginner for programming, so I am sorry if this question sounds stupid…
I am reading a book on Unix. I am wondering whether the programs that run on my desktop, such as iTunes or Skype, are regarded as deamons. I am confused because if I type ps in the terminal, all that I see is the bash kernel, unless I utilize the option -e. This seems to suggest that iTunes and Skype are just like other daemons running in the background.
However, conceptually a daemon should not use any input from the user, but I think iTunes and Skype do need input from the user…
What am I getting wrong? Please help, thank you!!
Programs like iTunes and Skype are not really daemons, precisely because they do interact with the user and can display to the screen. However, they are not tied to a terminal session either.
They are independent processes; they run in the background until you bring them to the foreground. They may have daemons of their own (iTunes has a helper program that is a daemon). But the main UI for Skype or iTunes is not a daemon.