Final answer:
To start gedit in the background, use the command 'gedit &' in Unix-based systems, which allows the program to run while the terminal remains available for other tasks.
Step-by-step explanation:
To start the gedit program in the background from a command prompt, you would enter the following command:
gedit &
When you append an ampersand (&) to the end of a command in a Unix-based operating system's terminal, it tells the system to run the process in the background. This allows you to continue using the terminal for other tasks while gedit is running. It's important to note that any output from gedit will still be sent to the terminal unless redirected.