Apple website auto-checker (and countdown timer)

pipelinestallpipelinestall
Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
With some amusement, I've read the numerous posts here of people frantically hitting reload on Apple.com to see what the next day's slogan will be regarding MacWorld.



Well, I was incredibly bored at work today (I had nothing to do, since I'm in between projects). So I decided to whip up a little Cocoa app that automates the process. It basically polls Apple's website every 60 seconds, and if the web page has changed, it beeps, and throws up an alert.



You can get the app at <a href="http://www.angelfire.com/retro/macworld/MacWorld.tar."; target="_blank">http://www.angelfire.com/retro/macworld/MacWorld.tar</a>;



Click "Begin automatic checking" to initiate the polling process. Or just click "Check manually" if you're impatient. It has the same effect as the frantic hitting of reload.



If it's a slow day at work for me tomorrow, I may add a count-down timer for MacWorld or some other crazy thing.



[ 01-03-2002: Message edited by: PipelineStall ]



[ 01-04-2002: Message edited by: PipelineStall ]</p>

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 15
    pipelinestallpipelinestall Posts: 78member
    Clicking on the URL doesn't seem to work. But copying and pasting it into your browser does.
  • Reply 2 of 15
    macaddictmacaddict Posts: 1,055member
    Could you please make a classic version?
  • Reply 3 of 15
    cosmocosmo Posts: 662member
    It is because there is a period in the url.

    here is the correct link: <a href="http://www.angelfire.com/retro/macworld/MacWorld.tar"; target="_blank">http://www.angelfire.com/retro/macworld/MacWorld.tar</A>;
  • Reply 4 of 15
    cosmocosmo Posts: 662member
    Oops, i guess it also has to do with angelfire, they don't allow linking, if you control click and select open link in new window, or download link, etc the file will download fine.



    hmm seems like a convenient little app, no way to tell if it works. I think i will turn it on around 2:30am est, assuming i don't fall asleep before then.
  • Reply 5 of 15
    pipelinestallpipelinestall Posts: 78member
    True, there is no way to verify that it works on Apple.com. I've tested the app on the MacNN and AppleInsider forums and whenever somebody posts something new, it does pop up an alert.



    I've also done some memory dumps to verify that it's loading the Apple web page correctly.



    [quote]Could you please make a classic version? <hr></blockquote>



    It uses BSD sockets and it's Cocoa. Very little chance of a Classic version.



    [ 01-03-2002: Message edited by: PipelineStall ]</p>
  • Reply 6 of 15
    cosmonutcosmonut Posts: 4,872member
    Couldn't you just make Apple.com a subscription in Internet Exploder and tell it to check once a minute?
  • Reply 7 of 15
    applenutapplenut Posts: 5,768member
    [quote]Originally posted by CosmoNut:

    <strong>Couldn't you just make Apple.com a subscription in Internet Exploder and tell it to check once a minute?</strong><hr></blockquote>



    sshhhh...



    still a good effort
  • Reply 8 of 15
    graphitemangraphiteman Posts: 428member
    Pipeline, could you email it to me (and would you consider sending the source too?)?



    [email protected]



    [edit: spelling mishap]



    [ 01-03-2002: Message edited by: graphiteman ]</p>
  • Reply 9 of 15
    cosmonutcosmonut Posts: 4,872member
    [quote]Originally posted by applenut:

    <strong>



    sshhhh...



    still a good effort </strong><hr></blockquote>



    LOL Applenut!!! BTW, it worked for me. I even set it to check only between 15min. before and 30min. after 12am PST through 1/8/02. Can that script do that?
  • Reply 10 of 15
    pipelinestallpipelinestall Posts: 78member
    [quote] Couldn't you just make Apple.com a subscription in Internet Exploder and tell it to check once a minute? <hr></blockquote>



    Heh...well, that's what I get for not keeping up to date on my Microsoft products.



    I guess I'll have to add some enhancements to it. Maybe a MacWorld countdown timer, and allow the user to specify the time between polls. IE can't check a website every millisecond, can it?



    FWIW, one could do a similar thing with cron. Just telnet to port 80, get the source, log it to a file. Then have cron execute some commands where you telnet to port 80, get the source, and use the cmp command to compare with the original. Log the output of cmp to a file and check the file size. If it's non-zero; the page has changed.



    But I think Cocoa and BSD Sockets is more fun.



    [quote] Pipeline, could you email it to me (and would you consider sending the source too?)?<hr></blockquote>



    I'll add a few new features to the utility; and include the source. I'll have it ready in time for tonight.
  • Reply 11 of 15
    graphitemangraphiteman Posts: 428member
    [quote]Originally posted by PipelineStall:

    <strong>



    I'll add a few new features to the utility; and include the source. I'll have it ready in time for tonight.</strong><hr></blockquote>



    Thanks!
  • Reply 12 of 15
    pipelinestallpipelinestall Posts: 78member
    Okay, I've posted a new one at <a href="http://www.angelfire.com/retro/mwsf/"; target="_blank">http://www.angelfire.com/retro/mwsf/</a>;



    Click the one link on the page to download the new version.



    It now has a MacWorld countdown timer (should work in any time zone) that updates in your Dock!



    I've also included the source. Please do not use my source as an example of how to develop Cocoa apps. I waste memory, and it isn't optimized. And yes, it actually has debug code in it.
  • Reply 13 of 15
    ghost_user_nameghost_user_name Posts: 22,667member
    wow, an admission of the existance of debug code by an apple employee...



  • Reply 14 of 15
    roborobo Posts: 469member
    Your site isn't working.. If you want to email the app to me, i can host it on robo.cx



    -robo
  • Reply 15 of 15
    pipelinestallpipelinestall Posts: 78member
    [quote] Your site isn't working.. If you want to email the app to me, i can host it on robo.cx<hr></blockquote>



    Damn Angelfire. They shut me down again.



    Thanks for the offer, robo. But I've created an iTools account to host the file. There's no need to go through the trouble, when the utility will be obsolete in a few days anyway.



    You can get the MacWorld countdown timer/Apple web page checker at <a href="http://homepage.mac.com/mwsf2002/FileSharing1.html"; target="_blank">http://homepage.mac.com/mwsf2002/FileSharing1.html</a>;
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