$SIG{CHLD} = sub { };

while (1) {
  for(1..10) {spawn(\&foo)}          # fork off 10 &foo()'s

  my $s = sleep (2);                 # $s will hold the number of
                                     # seconds actually slept
  print "--------------------";
  if ($s) { print "Slept for $s seconds\n"; }# If we slept at all
  else    { print "Did not sleep at all\n"; }# If we didn't
}

sub spawn {
  return if fork();                  # Fork and return the parent
  exit shift->();                    # exec the coderef passed as arg
}

sub foo {
  print '*' for(1..5);
}

##</code><code>##

**************************************---Slept for 2 seconds
**************************************---Slept for 2 seconds
**************************************---Slept for 2 seconds
**************************************---Slept for 2 seconds
**************************************---Slept for 2 seconds

##</code><code>##

**************************************---Slept for 2 seconds
**************************************---Did not sleep at all
**************************************---Did not sleep at all
*********************************---Did not sleep at all
*******************************************---Slept for 2 seconds
**********************************---Did not sleep at all
*******************************************---Did not sleep at all