Script to tell if a web page has changed - How?

[Themer]

I am not new to Linux, BASH, and can find my way around a terminal, so perhaps this isn't the perfect place for this thread, but it is a simple question I think, so here goes:

I would like to build a simple script to notify me if a page has changed in the last __ minutes/hours/days, etc. I know how to make the notification the way I want, know how to do the wait period, etc etc, the part I would like help with is the actual detecting of if it has changed. It occurred to me that I could just download the page, then in a bit download it again, and then compare them, but I would bet there's a better way, eh?

Anyone know of it?

[kai12]

hi,

here's just an idea: have you checked wget?
it has a --mirror option which only acts when a site has changed
and a --spider option which only test if a site is there.

don't know if these two can be used together in any meaningful way.

good luck!
kai

[arochester]

Does it have to be a script?

From Lifehacker:

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Monitor Web Sites for Updates with Update Scanner
Firefox only (Windows/Mac/Linux): The Update Scanner Firefox extension monitors web sites and alerts you whenever the site updates its content. While RSS feeds have put an end to your days constantly refreshing most sites worth their salt, there are still web pages that lack feeds that you may want to keep an eye on. Like what? Like a company's job page, for example, or just sites you love that remain a little behind the curve. You can even adjust scanning intervals and "change thresholds" so insignificant changes are ignored. Update Scanner is free, works wherever Firefox does.
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[Themer]

Hm, I'm assuming that Firefox has to be running for this to work however

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As for wget, I'll see if it's abilities are sufficient.