find: Comparing Timestamps

 
 2.3.2 Comparing Timestamps
 --------------------------
 
  -- Test: -newerXY reference
      Succeeds if timestamp 'X' of the file being considered is newer
      than timestamp 'Y' of the file 'reference'.  The letters 'X' and
      'Y' can be any of the following letters:
 
      'a'
           Last-access time of 'reference'
      'B'
           Birth time of 'reference' (when this is not known, the test
           cannot succeed)
      'c'
           Last-change time of 'reference'
      'm'
           Last-modification time of 'reference'
      't'
           The 'reference' argument is interpreted as a literal time,
           rather than the name of a file.  SeeDate input formats,
           for a description of how the timestamp is understood.  Tests
           of the form '-newerXt' are valid but tests of the form
           '-newertY' are not.
 
      For example the test '-newerac /tmp/foo' succeeds for all files
      which have been accessed more recently than '/tmp/foo' was changed.
      Here 'X' is 'a' and 'Y' is 'c'.
 
      Not all files have a known birth time.  If 'Y' is 'b' and the birth
      time of 'reference' is not available, 'find' exits with an
      explanatory error message.  If 'X' is 'b' and we do not know the
      birth time the file currently being considered, the test simply
      fails (that is, it behaves like '-false' does).
 
      Some operating systems (for example, most implementations of Unix)
      do not support file birth times.  Some others, for example
      NetBSD-3.1, do.  Even on operating systems which support file birth
      times, the information may not be available for specific files.
      For example, under NetBSD, file birth times are supported on UFS2
      file systems, but not UFS1 file systems.
 
    There are two ways to list files in '/usr' modified after February 1
 of the current year.  One uses '-newermt':
 
      find /usr -newermt "Feb 1"
 
    The other way of doing this works on the versions of find before
 4.3.3:
 
      touch -t 02010000 /tmp/stamp$$
      find /usr -newer /tmp/stamp$$
      rm -f /tmp/stamp$$
 
  -- Test: -anewer file
  -- Test: -cnewer file
  -- Test: -newer file
      True if the file was last accessed (or its status changed, or it
      was modified) more recently than FILE was modified.  These tests
      are affected by '-follow' only if '-follow' comes before them on
      the command line.  SeeSymbolic Links, for more information on
      '-follow'.  As an example, to list any files modified since
      '/bin/sh' was last modified:
 
           find . -newer /bin/sh
 
  -- Test: -used n
      True if the file was last accessed N days after its status was last
      changed.  Useful for finding files that are not being used, and
      could perhaps be archived or removed to save disk space.