SCons vs GNU Make

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

SCons is a Development solution with tags like build, automation, python.

It boasts features such as Dependency tracking, Parallel builds, Caching, Extensible with Python scripts, Cross-platform and pros including Fast incremental builds, Easily customizable, Good dependency management, Built-in support for many languages.

On the other hand, GNU Make is a Development product tagged with build, automation, make, compiler.

Its standout features include 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 it shines with pros like Widely used and well-supported, Mature and stable, Powerful dependency tracking, Built-in parallelism, Portable across platforms, Integrates well with other tools.

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.

SCons

SCons

SCons is an open source software construction tool that is used to build software applications and libraries. It is written in Python and uses Python scripts for its configuration files making it easy to customize and extend.

Categories:
build automation python

SCons Features

  1. Dependency tracking
  2. Parallel builds
  3. Caching
  4. Extensible with Python scripts
  5. Cross-platform

Pricing

  • Open Source

Pros

Fast incremental builds

Easily customizable

Good dependency management

Built-in support for many languages

Cons

Steep learning curve

Limited adoption compared to Make/CMake

Less flexible than general purpose build tools like Make


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