ANNOUNCE: SCons (Python build tool) development under way

[simonb at webone.com.au]

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...

Simon.


Steven Knight wrote:

>This is to announce that active development of SCons is now underway at:
>
>	http://scons.sourceforge.net/
>
>SCons is a Python software construction (or software build) tool--that
>is, a substitute or replacement for Make.  SCons is implemented as a
>Python script around a central set of Python build-engine modules.
>SCons configuration files are actually executed as Python scripts,
>allowing you to use full Python functionality to control your build.
>You use Python functions and methods in the configuration files to tell
>the central build engine about your input and output files.
>
>Other key features:  Dependency calculations are done using MD5
>signatures, yielding more reliable builds than timestamp-based
>dependency analysis.  Most dependencies are handled automatically.
>Building multiple targets in parallel (-j) is supported.  It's easy to
>add your own Builder objects and otherwise customize your build.
>
>SCons is still on its way to alpha release, so there's no official
>package available for download at the moment--sorry.  Much of the
>infrastructure has been coded, though, and is available for anonymous
>CVS checkout, or browsable via the CVS web interface under the SCons
>project page at SourceForge:
>
>	http://sourceforge.net/projects/scons/
>
>The usual set of mailing lists (scons-announce, scons-devel,
>scons-users) has been created.  Follow the web site links to subscribe.
>
>A small development team (n == 3) is working towards finishing enough
>documentation and basic functionality for a rapid series of alpha
>releases in the (hopefully) near future.  To help that effort, we'd like
>to become larger than just a "small" team.  If you're interested in
>contributing, we'd love to hear from you.  Check out the developer
>guidelines on the SCons web site.
>
>Yes, SCons is the direct descendant of the ScCons design that won the
>Software Carpentry build tool competition last year.  It's been renamed
>(dropped the extra 'c') to make it slightly easier to type, and to try
>to reflect weakly the fact that this project is no longer directly
>related to Software Carpentry.  (Sorry, I don't know the current status
>of Software Carpentry or the other tools they were planning.)
>
>The SCons design is based on the design of the Perl-based Cons software
>construction tool:
>
>	http://www.dsmit.com/cons/
>
>SCons improves on the Cons architecture by incorporating several years
>of practical experience with its strengths and weaknesses.  (And, of
>course, by being written in Python...  :-)
>
>	--SK
>
>