Tell me more ×
Android Enthusiasts Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for enthusiasts and power users of the Android operating system. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 2 down vote favorite
2

Is there an app that will let me run the UNIX tail command?

I want to be able to monitor a text file on a remote web server as it gets written to.

share|improve this question

1 Answer

up vote 2 down vote

I don't know the syntax, but Terminal Emulator on my Samsung Galaxy S lets me run tail. I would assume any console app would allow it.

As noted in the comments below, tail is part of BusyBox so you can get it from there. There is a root app on the Play Store that includes BusyBox if you don't want to search for a package to sideload.

share|improve this answer
When I run tail in Terminal Emulator on my Galaxy S it says 'tail: not found' :-/ – Techboy Jun 18 '11 at 13:52
@Techboy Hmm. Are you rooted? It's possible that tail could be part of Busybox. Or maybe it's my custom ROM or my specific variant of the SGS (T-Mo Vibrant). I'm not sure. – Matthew Read♦ Jun 18 '11 at 13:57
1  
I checked, it is part of Busybox, so you need to be rooted... – Matthew Read♦ Jun 18 '11 at 14:05
2  
You don't need to be rooted. Busybox should work without root, but you'll need to call the busybox tail explicitly, e.g. by /sdcard/busybox tail. – liori Jun 20 '11 at 12:24
1  
@studgeek That app needs root, and some BusyBox utilities might need root (situationally), but tail does not require root to access apart from if you want to use it on protected files. As liori mentions you can just stick the version of tail compiled for Android somewhere accessible and run it. – Matthew Read♦ Apr 17 at 20:18
show 2 more comments

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.