What is the difference between multiprogramming and batchprocessing?  

Batch processing
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A batch processing system is where programs or data are collected together in a batch and processed in one go. Typically the processing of payrolls, electricity bills, invoices and daily transactions are dealt with this way.

This method of operation lends itself to jobs with similar inputs, processing and outputs where no human intervention is needed. Jobs are stored in a queue until the computer is ready to deal with them. Often batch processed jobs are done overnight.


Multi-programming
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Multi-pro gramming is a method of operating such that several programs appear to be running at once.

The jobs are usually given priorities. The operating system switches jobs in and out of processor time according to priority. For example, while one job is being allocated printer time, another will be being processed in memory. The processor is so fast that it seems that many jobs are being processed at the same time.

Answered by Satyakam at 11:14 PM on October 26, 2008

In the early days of computing, CPU time was expensive, and peripherals were very slow. When the computer ran a program that needed access to a peripheral, the CPU would have to stop executing program instructions while the peripheral processed the data. This was deemed very inefficient.

The first efforts to create multiprogramming systems took place in the 1960s. Several different programs in batch were loaded in the computer memory, and the first one began to run. When the first program reached an instruction waiting for a peripheral, the context of this program was stored away, and the second program in memory was given a chance to run. The process continued until all programs finished running.

Multiprogramming doesn't give any guarantee that a program will run in a timely manner. Indeed, the very first program may very well run for hours without needing access to a peripheral. As there were no users waiting at an interactive terminal, this was no problem: users handed a deck of punched cards to an operator, and came back a few hours later for printed results. Multiprogramming greatly reduced the waiting.

The early OS/360 primary control program (PCP) followed the above model but was replaced the very next year, 1967, by MFT which limited the amount of CPU time any single process could consume before being switched out.
Batch processing is execution of a series of programs ("jobs") on a computer without human interaction.

Batch jobs are set up so they can be run to completion without human interaction, so all input data is preselected through scripts or command-line parameters. This is in contrast to "online" or interactive programs which prompt the user for such input.

Answered by ani at 10:30 PM on October 26, 2008

Multiprogramming is a rudimentary form of parallel processing in which several programs are run at the same time on a uniprocessor. Since there is only one processor , there can be no true simultaneous execution of different programs. Instead, the operating system executes part of one program, then part of another, and so on. To the user it appears that all programs are executing at the same time.

If the machine has the capability of causing an interrupt after a specified time interval, then the operating system will execute each program for a given length of time, regain control, and then execute another program for a given length of time, and so on. In the absence of this mechanism, the operating system has no choice but to begin to execute a program with the expectation, but not the certainty, that the program will eventually return control to the operating system.

If the machine has the capability of protecting memory , then a bug in one program is less likely to interfere with the execution of other programs. In a system without memory protection, one program can change the contents of storage assigned to other programs or even the storage assigned to the operating system. The resulting system crashes are not only disruptive, they may be very difficult to debug since it may not be obvious which of several programs is at fault.
http://whatis.techtarg et.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci2 12615,00.html
In a computer, a batch job is a program that is assigned to the computer to run without further user interaction. Examples of batch jobs in a PC are a printing request or an analysis of a Web site log. In larger commercial computers or servers, batch jobs are usually initiated by a system user. Some are defined to run automatically at a certain time.

In some computer systems, batch jobs are said to run in the background and interactive programs run in the foreground. In general, interactive programs are given priority over batch programs, which run during the time intervals when the interactive programs are waiting for user requests.

The term originated with mainframe computers when punched cards were the usual form of computer input and you put a batch of cards (one batch per program) in a box in the sequence that they were to be fed into the computer by the computer operator. (Hopefully, you got the output back the next morning.)
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Answered by Nishu's at 9:53 PM on October 26, 2008

Multiprogramming is the act of writing programs that can be scheduled for running on more than one processor (either on a multiprocessor system, or in a clustered environment such as MOSIX).

Batch-Processing is when a certain set of programs are executed, in orderly form, with the results of one program typically being fed into the following program, without any interaction from the user -- as apposed to interactive programs which requires user input at certain stages in order for the program to continue.

Batch-processing can also involve the use of multiprogrammed applications, provided they can be run in a non-interactive mode.

Answered by Ashish Yadav at 4:17 PM on October 26, 2008