Re: [Javaweb-people] build tools

[Brian Jones]

Nic Ferrier <address@hidden> writes:

> This is what knackers java building. To compile java files
> individually doesn't seem to be the best way to go for two reasons:
> 
> - make has to invoke the java compiler for each class, that's slow
> - the user then has to work out the dependancies and keep changing
>   the makefile
> 
> It would be nice if make had some way of deliverting all the targets
> of a multiple target rule to it's action. But it doesn't (afaik).
> 
> 
> Which means that Ant is the only real option for a well controlled
> java build.

I'm not in favor of Ant.  It requires yet another build system.

I like @filename syntax.  It works.  It's simple.  If someone knows of
a working dependency generator then that can be added (optionally
even) but in the past I tried JavaDeps, jikes +M, MakeMaker, and
others, and they all suck.  Most things are not built with the idea of
compiling the core class libraries.  They sort of take those for
granted.  And the time I might spend recalculating dependencies is a
waste because I can recompile the entire damn thing with jikes in far
less time anyway, at least if it was written in Java.

Brian
-- 
Brian Jones <address@hidden>