GNU Make VS KornShell

• Portability
  GNU Make is highly portable and can be used across various Unix-like operating systems as well as on Windows.
• Dependency Management
  It efficiently handles complex dependencies between various parts of the software, ensuring that changes are propagated properly.
• Open Source
  Being open-source software, GNU Make is freely available and can be modified according to user needs.
• Wide Adoption
  It is widely adopted in the industry, which means that there is extensive documentation and a large community for support.
• Efficiency
  GNU Make speeds up the build process by only recompiling the necessary parts of the codebase.

Possible disadvantages

• Complex Syntax
  The syntax of GNU Makefiles can become very complex, especially for large projects, making them hard to read and maintain.
• Limited Cross-Platform Scripting
  While the tool itself is cross-platform, Makefiles can sometimes include shell commands that are not portable.
• Steep Learning Curve
  Beginners may find it challenging to grasp the concepts and syntax of GNU Make, leading to a steep learning curve.
• Debugging Difficulty
  Debugging Makefiles can be difficult, with limited tools available to trace or step through the make process.
• Performance Bottlenecks
  For extremely large projects, performance can become an issue, as the evaluation of dependencies might become slow.

• Compatibility
  KornShell (ksh) maintains backward compatibility with Bourne Shell (sh), making it easy for users familiar with sh to transition without altering their existing scripts substantially.
• Advanced Scripting Features
  ksh offers advanced scripting capabilities such as associative arrays, floating-point arithmetic, and built-in regular expressions, providing more powerful and flexible scripting tools.
• Job Control
  It provides robust job control, allowing users to manage and switch between multiple background tasks and processes easily.
• Interactive Use
  ksh supports features like command aliasing, history manipulation, and inline editing, enhancing its utility in interactive command-line environments.
• Performance
  ksh scripts often execute faster than those written in other shells like csh, due to more efficient resource management and execution mechanisms.

Possible disadvantages

• Complexity
  ksh is more complex compared to simpler shells like sh, making it potentially overwhelming for beginners or those seeking simplicity.
• Portability
  Not all systems come with ksh pre-installed, and differences between ksh88 and ksh93 can lead to portability issues across different Unix-like systems.
• Learning Curve
  Due to its rich feature set, ksh has a steeper learning curve, which could be a barrier for new users unfamiliar with shell scripting.
• Limited Adoption
  Despite its capabilities, ksh is not as widely adopted as other shells like bash or zsh, meaning less community support and fewer resources available.
• Licensing
  ksh is under the Common Public License, which may pose constraints for users or organizations compared to more permissively licensed shells.

No analysis of KornShell yet.

Tracking GNU Make since Mar 2021.

• Trying to Set-up android9(ver6) in VirtualBox

  Well now I'm at the point that I see it's calling for the Korn shell, which I'm not directly familiar with, and seemed to stop on the mouse input driver. I'll change my VBox mouse device settings and see what happens from there... Source: over 4 years ago