[ageofwant]

I find that hard to believe.

    target: dependency
        make_it_so

I have replaced many multi page build.sh/dev.sh scripts with a 20 line or less Makefile using nothing more than the syntax above.

Yes the tab thing is stupid, vim makes it not matter.

[thiggy]

Don't get me wrong, I love make, but I also can admit it's old and has some legacy warts. Phony targets, double dollar signs, the tab thing you mention. I've learned to be ok with it, but I've seen it be a barrier to adoption.

I'm not saying it should be a barrier, I'm saying it is a thing I have experienced in my career.