Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

MPW Make VS GNU Make

Compare MPW Make VS GNU Make and see what are their differences

MPW Make logo MPW Make

Macintosh Programmer's Workshop (MPW) is an open, configurable, and scriptable development environment which provides the flexibility to support complex software development projects

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.
  • MPW Make Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-02-03
  • GNU Make Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-03-12

MPW Make features and specs

  • Integration with MPW
    MPW Make is designed to work seamlessly within the Macintosh Programmer’s Workshop (MPW) environment, providing a cohesive toolset for Mac OS software development.
  • Scriptability
    MPW Make allows extensive scriptability, enabling developers to automate complex tasks and make custom build processes more manageable.
  • Customizability
    Developers can customize MPW Make extensively to suit specific project needs, offering flexibility in how builds are managed and executed.

Possible disadvantages of MPW Make

  • Obsolete Technology
    MPW Make is based on older technology that is no longer actively supported or updated, leading to potential challenges in modern software development.
  • Limited Community Support
    Due to its age and lack of modern adoption, there is limited community support and resources available for MPW Make, making it harder for developers to find help.
  • Compatibility Issues
    MPW Make may face compatibility issues with newer operating systems and development environments, requiring additional effort to maintain functionality.

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.

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to MPW Make and GNU Make)
JS Build Tools
19 19%
81% 81
Front End Package Manager
JavaScript Package Manager
Package Manager
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

Share your experience with using MPW Make and GNU Make. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

What are some alternatives?

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

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

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

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

npm - npm is a package manager for Node.

JSHint - New JSHint website. Anton Kovalyov Oct 1st, 2013. For the last couple of weeks I've been working on a new homepage for JSHint and today I'm proud to announce the new jshint. com! JSHint Website.

FinalBuilder - FinalBuilder is a build automation tool.