Meson vs Automake

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

Meson is a Development solution with tags like build-system, compiler, open-source.

It boasts features such as Fast build times, Intuitive syntax, Cross-platform support, Integration with popular build tools and languages, Dependency management, Support for tests and benchmarks, Customizable build configuration and pros including Very fast compared to other build systems, Simple configuration using Python DSL, Easy to use and learn, Detects changes quickly to avoid unnecessary rebuilds, Good error messages, Lightweight with few dependencies.

On the other hand, Automake is a Development product tagged with make, automake, build, gnu.

Its standout features include 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 it shines with pros like 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.

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

Product Overview

Meson

Description: Meson is an open-source build system focused on speed and ease of use. It is designed to optimize the build process by detecting changes in projects faster and providing useful error messages. Meson supports many languages and build tools.

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.

Key Features Comparison

Meson Features

• Fast build times
• Intuitive syntax
• Cross-platform support
• Integration with popular build tools and languages
• Dependency management
• Support for tests and benchmarks
• Customizable build configuration

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

Pros & Cons Analysis

Meson

Pros

• Very fast compared to other build systems
• Simple configuration using Python DSL
• Easy to use and learn
• Detects changes quickly to avoid unnecessary rebuilds
• Good error messages
• Lightweight with few dependencies

Cons

• Limited adoption outside C/C++ projects
• Less flexibility than some other build tools
• Lacks some advanced features of tools like CMake
• Less third-party integration compared to older systems

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

Pricing Comparison

Meson

• Open Source

Automake

• Open Source