I've been working as a Linux admin and using Cron regularly, so I don't think of it as outdated. However, I noticed a setting called 'Legacy Background Tasks' in macOS after I created a cronjob. Is Cron considered legacy? I want to understand the real status of Cron, especially in Mac environments.
5 Answers
I’d agree about Cron being legacy on macOS as launchd takes over. But don’t forget, Cron is still quite effective on Linux. It’s just that there are newer tools like systemd timers that are becoming more common.
On macOS, yes, Cron is definitely considered legacy. Apple is pushing for users to switch to launchd, which is their preferred task scheduler. On the Linux side, Cron still has its place, but with systemd timers gaining popularity, it seems like a shift is on the horizon.
I’ve heard that Cron is legacy on macOS, and while Linux tools might hang around longer, systemd is definitely becoming the go-to alternative. If you're an admin on a Mac, switch to launchd to future-proof your scripts.
I'm still using Cron for scheduled reports on one of my VMs. I think the cloud scheduler in GCP is just a fancy version of Cron, isn't it? So, while it may be deemed legacy, it's still useful in many scenarios.
Honestly, I feel like macOS tries to distance itself from traditional Unix systems. Cron might be labeled legacy there, but it still works perfectly fine on my Linux servers, so I don't see it going away anytime soon.
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