GNU Make vs Premake

Struggling to choose between GNU Make and Premake? 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, 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	GNU Make	Premake
Overall Score	N/A	N/A
Primary Category	Development	Development

Product Overview

GNU Make

Description: 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.

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

GNU Make Features

• 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

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

GNU Make

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

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

GNU Make

• Open Source

Premake

• Open Source