For those who are familiar with the Unix system, you will also be familiar with the cron application that allows you to schedule and automate tasks to run on their own. We even have tutorials that show you how to get started with cron and crontabs. However, cron is not perfect, as it requires your system to be running 24 hours a day. If you have a habit of turning off your computer at night, and a cron job is scheduled in the sleeping hours, the task won’t be executed. Luckily, there are several cron alternatives that can do a better job than cron. Let’s check them out.
1. Anacron
Anacron is a periodic command scheduler just like cron. The only difference is that it does not need your computer to be always running. You can schedule your task to run at any time. When your computer is off, the task will be executed the next time you turn the computer on.
