TrustRadius Insights for GNU Make are summaries of user sentiment data from TrustRadius reviews and, when necessary, third party data sources.
Business Problems Solved
GNU Make is a versatile tool that has found numerous use cases among its users. It is commonly used for automating software builds and managing server configurations. Many users have relied on GNU Make to build C programs and applications written in other languages, allowing them to efficiently compile and run programs across different platforms without the need for dual booting. Its multi-language support has made it an invaluable tool for project development purposes.
One key use case of GNU Make is its ability to automate validation and verification scenarios, improving overall code quality. Users have found it helpful in automating rebuilds of modules in production systems and seamlessly rolling them out. Additionally, GNU Make has been effective in speeding up code deployments and change processes for large programs, making it a time-saving tool for developers.
Another important use case of GNU Make is its role in building scripts and handling projects with multiple code files. It enables users to package their code into a single makefile, simplifying the build process and facilitating project management. Moreover, GNU Make has been used to automate the building of static websites and internal documentation systems, streamlining the publishing process.
Furthermore, GNU Make is chosen as a solution for managing the building of source code in various programming languages such as Go, C, and Fortran-based projects. Users appreciate its simplicity and extensibility compared to other tools available for different languages. It allows them to write build scripts with powerful configuration options, empowering others to build development programs locally.
Overall, GNU Make provides a wide range of capabilities and solutions for software developers and project managers. With its ability to automate builds, manage server configurations, and support multiple programming languages, it has become an indispensable tool in the software development industry.
Our team uses GNU Make to build any of our software projects once they have reached a reasonable level of complexity. We use it to build Go, C, and Fortran-based projects to provide simple "make build" or "make test" steps to compile code and run tests. It's an old-fashioned tool, and I wish there were better tools available, but none of the contenders seem to have the simplicity and extensibility that Make does. Other devices seem to be language-specific and specialized for specific ecosystems (e.g., maven or Gradle are great for Java, but not for C projects). Batch files are simpler but don't perform as well and don't provide as much out-of-the-box flexibility (e.g., ability to compile only specific files rather than a full build).
Pros
Dependency tracking (only re-build files if needed)
Simple to integrate with existing command-line tools
Cons
No dependency management tools (but there are no cross-platform tools of this type anyway)
Tedious to do cross-compilation (Debug & Release builds, 32- and 64-bit builds, x86/ARM builds)
Likelihood to Recommend
GNU Make is a great tool for simple builds where language-specific options are not available, or to provide shortcuts for common commands (e.g., "make build" as shorthand for "go build ..." with a bunch of flags). However, it is complementary to other build systems. It does not replace them, which is perhaps one of its greatest strengths as well (works with existing ecosystem instead of trying to do everything). GMU Make it simple to get started with, and the philosophy of understanding how sources map to outputs, as well as the dependency graph, are beneficial.
GNU Make is being used as a build script in our product software development, specifically for embedded software development.
Pros
Performance and accuracy of cross-module dependencies.
Simple to write and easy to understand.
Cons
Constrained by the tab to start for command.
Cannot append something on the end of a variable.
Likelihood to Recommend
Makefiles are machine-readable documentation that make your workflow reproducible. If the build process is a very continuous flow of operations within scope, it will do it well and also act as a documentation of all the dependence. For some long-term projects, Make has been used extensively and being maintained to do the job.
VU
Verified User
Director in Research & Development (51-200 employees)