parallel_dispatcher.sh

#!/bin/bash

num=4                               # num is number of cores
qFile='path/to/your/queue.file'     # this is the queue file

on_die()
{
    echo "Stopping..."
    rm $qFile
    exit 0
}

trap 'on_die' SIGHUP SIGINT SIGTERM

if [ -f $qFile ];
then
    echo "Sorry, something went wrong."
    echo "Remove $qFile and try again."
else
    echo "You can now submit jobs"
    echo "    Usage: echo ' do_this ' >> $qFile'"
    touch $qFile
    (
        for i in `seq 1 $num`                      # submit a few 'auxiliary' jobs
        do
            echo " true " >> $qFile
        done
    )
    tail -f $qFile | parallel -u
fi