ANNOUNCE: SCons (Python build tool) development under way

[Peter Hansen]

Oops, accidentally sent before done editing...

simonb at webone.com.au wrote:
> 
> Steven Knight wrote:
> 
> >This is to announce that active development of SCons is now underway at:
> >
> >       http://scons.sourceforge.net/

> So this is not just for a python project (i can't see why
> you would need any "make" utility for a (purely) python project),
> but as a real replacement for make?
> ie. reads makefiles and such?
> Well, im rather confused about this...

Well, if it will help, since maybe you didn't click on the 
conveniently included link:

"""
 SCons is ... an improved substitute for the classic Make 
 utility... 

 What makes SCons better? 

 * Configuration files are Python scripts--no new syntax to 
   learn. 
 * Global view of all dependencies--no more multiple build passes 
   or reordering targets to build everything.
 * Reliable detection of build changes using MD5 signatures, not timestamps. 
 * Reliable, automatic dependency analysis--no more "make depend" 
   / "make clean" to get all of the dependencies. 
 * Easily extensible through user-defined builders. 
 * Building from central repositories of source code and/or pre-built targets.
"""

This all sounds DAMN fine to me.  What was it that confused you?
As it says above, the configuration files are Python scripts, so
no, it will not read makefiles.  This is a substitute for make,
an improved way of doing what make has been doing, gradually 
more and more awkwardly as programmers' needs became more
sophisticated, for years.

(I've been anxiously awaiting the release of this in some
releasable form, so "alpha" or not I'm happy to see it reach
this stage.  Thanks, Steven!)

-- 
----------------------
Peter Hansen, P.Eng.
peter at engcorp.com