title: Execute Subprocess in Background
body: <p>I have a python script which takes an input, formats it into a command which calls another script on the server, and then executes using subprocess:</p>
  
  <pre><code>import sys, subprocess
  
  thingy = sys.argv[1]
  
  command = 'usr/local/bin/otherscript.pl {0} &amp;'.format(thingy)
  command_list = command.split()
  subprocess.call(command_list)
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>I append <code>&amp;</code> to the end because <code>otherscript.pl</code> takes some time to execute, and I prefer to have run in the background. However, the script still seems to execute without giving me back control to the shell, and I have to wait until execution finishes to get back to my prompt. Is there another way to use <code>subprocess</code> to fully run the script in background?</p>