macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install sincelocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew
Install since with Homebrew, apt, dnf
Stateful tail: show changes to files since last check. Version 1.1 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install sinceDebian stable package indexes · since · source: deb.debian.org
Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install sinceFedora Rawhide package metadata · since · source: dl.fedoraproject.org
overview
Package summary
Stateful tail: show changes to files since last check
Project links
Commands and aliases
- since
history
Project history and usage
since is a small Unix utility for stateful log tailing: it prints only the content appended to files since the last run.
Project history
The official homepage describes since as a tail-like Unix utility for monitoring growing log files. The official source archive includes a manpage dated July 1998, and the homepage offers an old stable 0.5 source archive plus a 1.1 rewrite with more features.
Adoption history
The official homepage links to Debian and FreeBSD distribution pages, and the input records packages for Homebrew, Debian, Fedora/DNF, and Ubuntu. That adoption pattern fits a tiny admin utility preserved by Unix package collections.
How it is used
Users run since against log files, commonly under /var/log, to see only new lines after a previous check. The manpage documents follow mode, quiet and relaxed modes, compressed-extension skipping, and an explicit state-file option.
Why package nerds care
Package nerds care because since is a minimal example of a Unix command that does one operational job, stores simple state, and avoids a larger log-monitoring stack when a shell session is enough.
Timeline
- 1998: Official manpage in the source archive is dated July 1998.
- 2000s: Official homepage lists 0.5 as old and stable and 1.1 as a rewrite with more features.
- 2026: Input package-manager facts list Homebrew, Debian, Fedora/DNF, and Ubuntu packages.
Related projects
- Related tools include tail, logger, stat, shell aliases for log monitoring, and other stateful log-following scripts.
Sources
- http://welz.org.za/projects/since
- http://welz.org.za/projects/since/since-1.1.tar.gz
- source_facts.package-manager
security posture
Risk level: green
narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.
Risk classifier
green risk · low confidence · appliance
Why
- narrow executable package without higher-risk signals
Signals
- metadata:no-higher-risk-signals
Install behavior
- No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
- Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 13 platform targets.
Recommended review
Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
since | cli | global executable |
freshness
Version and freshness
These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.
page generated2026-07-08
manager version1.1
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
http://welz.org.za/projects/since
- infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
- infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.http://welz.org.za/projects/sincenone confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:since |
|---|---|
| Version | 1.1 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/since |
| Homepage | http://welz.org.za/projects/since |
| Upstream docs | http://welz.org.za/projects/since |
| License | GPL-3.0-or-later |
| Source archive | https://deb.debian.org/debian/pool/main/s/since/since_1.1.orig.tar.gz |
| Bottle | available (on arm64_big_sur, arm64_linux, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, big_sur, catalina, monterey, sonoma, ventura, x86_64_linux) |
| Homebrew post-install | not defined |
| Service | none declared |
registry facts
Source database details
| Source Database | Homebrew formula API |
|---|---|
| Tap | homebrew/core |
| Full Name | since |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 0 |
| Bottle Stable Root URL | https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core |
| Deprecated | no |
| Disabled | no |
| Keg Only | no |
| URL Keys |
|
source database matches
Other package-manager records
Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.
Debian apt95%
since 1.1-7
tail(1) work-alike that saves and uses state information
http://welz.org.za/projects/since
sudo apt install since- Section: text
- Architecture: amd64
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Since
Ubuntu apt95%
since 1.1-7
tail(1) work-alike that saves and uses state information
http://welz.org.za/projects/since
sudo apt install since- Section: universe/text
- Architecture: amd64
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Since
dnf95%
since 1.1-33.fc44
Stateful tail replacement
http://welz.org.za/projects/since
sudo dnf install since- License: GPL-3.0-or-later
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: since
- 2 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Since
source trail
Generated from repository data
This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.
Combined YAML source
View the package source record on GitHub.
Used sources
- Geiger risk classifier
- Nucleus package database
- av.db category and tag curation
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated package history
- external package-manager database matches
- package relationship graph
- package version freshness
- package-page enrichment