Automake vs Premake

Struggling to choose between Automake and Premake? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

Automake is a Development solution with tags like make, automake, build, gnu.

It boasts features such as Automatically generates Makefile.am files from Makefile.in files, Supports automatic dependency tracking and parallel builds, Integrates with Autoconf to provide a full build environment, Supports various languages like C, C++, Fortran, Java, Objective-C, Handles library dependencies and subdirectories seamlessly, Allows overriding defaults and customization through config files and pros including Saves time by automating Makefile creation, Promotes standardization and best practices for builds, Simplifies build configuration for large, complex projects, Easy to integrate with build tools like Autoconf and Libtool, Actively maintained and well-documented.

On the other hand, Premake is a Development product tagged with c, crossplatform, automation.

Its standout features include Generate project files for Visual Studio, Xcode, Make and others, Support for C, C++, C#, Lua and other languages, Cross-platform build configuration, Command line and GUI interface, Extensible Lua scripting, Open source and free, and it shines with pros like Automates and simplifies project configuration, Saves time compared to manual project setup, Supports many platforms, languages and build tools, Easy to integrate into build process, Free and open source.

Feature	Automake	Premake
Overall Score	N/A	N/A
Primary Category	Development	Development

Product Overview

Automake

Description: Automake is a tool for automatically generating Makefile.am files that comply with the GNU coding standards. It simplifies the creation and maintenance of Makefiles for complex software projects.

Premake

Description: Premake is an open-source build configuration tool for C++ projects across Windows, MacOS, and Linux. It automates the generation of project files and build scripts for Make, Visual Studio, Xcode, and other build systems.

Key Features Comparison

Automake Features

• Automatically generates Makefile.am files from Makefile.in files
• Supports automatic dependency tracking and parallel builds
• Integrates with Autoconf to provide a full build environment
• Supports various languages like C, C++, Fortran, Java, Objective-C
• Handles library dependencies and subdirectories seamlessly
• Allows overriding defaults and customization through config files

Premake Features

• Generate project files for Visual Studio, Xcode, Make and others
• Support for C, C++, C#, Lua and other languages
• Cross-platform build configuration
• Command line and GUI interface
• Extensible Lua scripting
• Open source and free

Pros & Cons Analysis

Automake

Pros

• Saves time by automating Makefile creation
• Promotes standardization and best practices for builds
• Simplifies build configuration for large, complex projects
• Easy to integrate with build tools like Autoconf and Libtool
• Actively maintained and well-documented

Cons

• Yet another build tool to learn
• Limited flexibility compared to handwritten Makefiles
• Not as feature-rich as some alternatives like CMake
• Requires GNU build tools and may not work on all platforms
• Can have a steep learning curve

Premake

Pros

• Automates and simplifies project configuration
• Saves time compared to manual project setup
• Supports many platforms, languages and build tools
• Easy to integrate into build process
• Free and open source

Cons

• Limited adoption outside of C/C++ projects
• Steep learning curve for Lua scripting
• Less flexibility than hand-written build scripts
• Limited IDE integration features
• Minimal documentation

Pricing Comparison

Automake

• Open Source

Premake

• Open Source