GNU Make vs Autoconf

Struggling to choose between GNU Make and Autoconf? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

GNU Make is a Development solution with tags like build, automation, make, compiler.

It boasts features such as Dependency tracking - Automatically determines dependencies between files, Parallel builds - Can build independent targets simultaneously, Built-in functions - Many built-in functions for common build tasks, Recursive builds - Can build targets in subdirectories recursively, Pattern rules - General rules can be applied based on pattern matching, Conditionals - Supports if/else conditionals in makefiles and pros including Widely used and well-supported, Mature and stable, Powerful dependency tracking, Built-in parallelism, Portable across platforms, Integrates well with other tools.

On the other hand, Autoconf is a Development product tagged with configuration, portability, automation.

Its standout features include Portability, Extensibility, Automatic dependency tracking, Support for conditional compilation, Built-in caching, Macro language, and it shines with pros like Makes software portable across Unix-like systems, Allows customization through macros, Automates tedious configuration tasks, Avoids manual editing of configuration files, Reuses previous configuration results.

To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison of these two products, delving into their features, pros, cons, pricing, and more. Get ready to explore the nuances that set them apart and determine which one is the perfect fit for your requirements.

GNU Make

GNU Make

GNU Make is a utility that automatically builds executable programs and libraries from source code by reading files called Makefiles which specify how to derive the target program. It allows users to easily compile large projects without manually issuing the compilation commands.

Categories:
build automation make compiler

GNU Make Features

  1. Dependency tracking - Automatically determines dependencies between files
  2. Parallel builds - Can build independent targets simultaneously
  3. Built-in functions - Many built-in functions for common build tasks
  4. Recursive builds - Can build targets in subdirectories recursively
  5. Pattern rules - General rules can be applied based on pattern matching
  6. Conditionals - Supports if/else conditionals in makefiles

Pricing

  • Open Source

Pros

Widely used and well-supported

Mature and stable

Powerful dependency tracking

Built-in parallelism

Portable across platforms

Integrates well with other tools

Cons

Cryptic syntax

Difficult for complex builds

Only rebuilds out-of-date targets

Not suitable for all project types

Limited to makefile build process


Autoconf

Autoconf

Autoconf is an extensible package of M4 macros that produce shell scripts to automatically configure software source code packages. It can adapt the software to many kinds of Unix-like systems without manual user intervention.

Categories:
configuration portability automation

Autoconf Features

  1. Portability
  2. Extensibility
  3. Automatic dependency tracking
  4. Support for conditional compilation
  5. Built-in caching
  6. Macro language

Pricing

  • Open Source

Pros

Makes software portable across Unix-like systems

Allows customization through macros

Automates tedious configuration tasks

Avoids manual editing of configuration files

Reuses previous configuration results

Cons

Complex macro language has steep learning curve

Hard to debug issues

Can produce convoluted configuration scripts

Limited support on non-Unix platforms