Install make with Homebrew

Project links

• Homepage

Commands and aliases

• gmake

Project history

The GNU Make manual states that GNU make was implemented by Richard Stallman and Roland McGrath, with development since version 3.76 handled by Paul D. Smith. It also states that GNU make conforms to POSIX.2 section 6.2, which anchors it in both GNU and Unix standardization history.

The official GNU FTP archive shows GNU Make releases at least as far back as 3.75 in 1996, with later long-lived releases including 3.80 in 2002, 3.81 in 2006, 4.0 in 2013, 4.3 in 2020, and 4.4.1 in 2023. The current Savannah Git repository remains active, with the GNU page naming Paul Smith as maintainer.

Adoption history

GNU Make became a default assumption for huge parts of free software packaging because GNU packages standardize on makefile-driven build and install targets. The GNU Make homepage explicitly says make lets end users build and install a package without knowing the build details recorded in the supplied makefile.

Its adoption is also cultural: countless source packages still advertise the familiar sequence of configure, make, make install, and Homebrew installs GNU Make as gmake on macOS to avoid colliding with the system make. Package maintainers care because differences between POSIX make, BSD make, and GNU make are a recurring source of portability bugs.

How it is used

GNU Make reads a makefile, builds an internal dependency graph, and then runs recipes for targets whose prerequisites are newer or missing. By default it looks for GNUmakefile, makefile, and Makefile, while -f or --file selects explicit makefiles.

Although its examples often use C programs, the manual stresses that make can drive any task where files must be updated automatically from other files. Common package usage includes build targets, install and uninstall targets, generated documentation, tags, tests, and maintainer workflows.

Why package nerds care

GNU Make is one of the load-bearing command names in open source packaging. It is old, standardized enough to be everywhere, and GNU-specific enough that build systems still accidentally depend on its extensions.

For package nerds, make is interesting because it is both infrastructure and interface: it encodes dependency graphs, default goals, phony targets, implicit rules, variable expansion timing, and the tiny rituals by which source archives become installed software.

Timeline

• 1996: GNU FTP archive lists make 3.75.
• 1997: GNU Make 3.76.1 follows the version after which Paul D. Smith handled development, according to the manual.
• 2002: GNU FTP archive lists make 3.80.
• 2013: GNU FTP archive lists make 4.0.
• 2023: GNU FTP archive lists make 4.4.1.

Related projects

• POSIX make is the standardized baseline referenced by the GNU Make manual.
• Autoconf and Automake-generated projects commonly emit makefiles for GNU-style build workflows.
• BSD make and other make implementations are important comparison points because GNU makefiles often use non-portable extensions.

Sources

• https://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/make/
• https://www.gnu.org/software/make/
• https://www.gnu.org/software/make/manual/
• https://www.gnu.org/software/make/manual/html_node/Makefile-Names.html
• https://www.gnu.org/software/make/manual/html_node/Overview.html
• https://www.gnu.org/software/make/manual/html_node/Reading-Makefiles.html