1. A general-purpose hardware process scheduler for scheduling a process for execution by a processor in a parallel processing data processing system, the process having a processing priority number indicative of system processing significance, comprising: storage means for storing a priority number associated with each process requesting by the processor; means, connected to the storage means, for selecting a process priority number having the greatest system processing significance from among the priority numbers stored in the storage means; means, connected to the storage means and responsive to the selecting means, for reading the selected process priority number from the storage means; and means, responsive to the selecting means, for indicating to the data processing system that the selecting means has selected a process priority number.