Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

jsmake VS GNU Make

Compare jsmake VS GNU Make and see what are their differences

jsmake logo jsmake

jsmake is a basic javascript preprocessor/build utility (Perl script) that you can easily integrate in your continuous integration environment.

GNU Make logo GNU Make

GNU Make is a tool which controls the generation of executables and other non-source files of a program from the program's source files.
  • jsmake Landing page
    Landing page //
    2024-10-04
  • GNU Make Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-03-12

jsmake features and specs

  • Simplicity
    jsmake offers a simple and straightforward approach to processing JavaScript files, making it easy to use for developers who need basic pre-processing capabilities.
  • Lightweight
    As a script-based tool, jsmake is lightweight and doesnโ€™t require extensive setup or configuration, which can be beneficial for small projects or individual scripts.
  • Open Source
    Being open source, jsmake allows developers to modify and adapt the tool to fit their specific use cases or contribute to its improvement.

Possible disadvantages of jsmake

  • Limited Features
    Compared to more modern and robust tools, jsmake lacks advanced features that are available in other JavaScript task runners and preprocessors, limiting its scalability for larger projects.
  • Outdated
    The project appears to be archived and is not actively maintained, which may result in compatibility issues with newer environments and lack of support for latest JavaScript features.
  • Community Support
    Due to its archival status and the existence of more popular alternatives, jsmake has a smaller community, which might result in fewer resources for troubleshooting and support.

GNU Make features and specs

  • 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 of GNU Make

  • 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.

Analysis of GNU Make

Overall verdict

  • Yes, GNU Make is a robust and reliable tool for managing build processes. Its long-established reputation and widespread use in both open-source and commercial projects underline its effectiveness and flexibility.

Why this product is good

  • GNU Make is widely used because it automates the build process, efficiently handling dependencies and detecting minimal sets of changes in source files. It is highly customizable, supports non-recursive builds, and integrates well into various development environments.

Recommended for

  • Software developers working on C/C++ projects
  • Teams looking to automate build processes
  • Projects that require cross-platform build capabilities
  • Developers who prefer command-line tools
  • Open-source project maintainers

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to jsmake and GNU Make)
JS Build Tools
18 18%
82% 82
Front End Package Manager
JavaScript Package Manager
Package Manager
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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What are some alternatives?

When comparing jsmake and GNU Make, you can also consider the following products

jsmacro - jsmacro is pre-processor designed for use with JavaScript (where "macro" currently leans more toward the C definition of a macro than the Lisp definition.)

CMake - CMake is an open-source, cross-platform family of tools designed to build, test and package software.

Lerna - Application and Data, Libraries, and Javascript Utilities & Libraries

SCons - SCons is an Open Source software construction toolโ€”that is, a next-generation build tool.

Sprockets - Sprockets: Rack-based asset packaging.

SBT - SBT is a build tool for Scala, like Ant or Maven but with hieroglyphics.