[zeotroph]

The syntax... `list(GET mylist 4 val)` - oh, you mean `val = mylist[4]`. And the strange `function(ARGUMENTNAME argument1 OTHERARG arg2)` function syntax, and that out value names are always passed into a function as this language does not know `=` assignment, and the semicolon separated lists. And worst of all, the weak to absent typing, reading from a nonsense variable never fails.

I hope this is all abstracted enough so one day cmake can become saner to read and write. For now you just have to carry this otherwise useless syntax knowledge with you, or switch to meson or waf. Most IDEs seem to prefer cmake though, especially with the new cmake server mode it might be here to stay.

And a big thanks to all the saints who want to make cmake understandable for the rest of us.

[kabdib]

For a domain-specific language, CMAKE is a total failure at making things clearer and simpler and more reliable.

And of course the wizened software engineer in me has to be restrained: "Oh hey, I can make a better build system than that..."

[matheusmoreira]

Why restrain oneself from starting an interesting project?

[kabdib]

The world is full of interesting projects, and you have to do triage or go crazy with too many things to work on. While I have a fair amount of experience with build systems (starting with a public domain version of make that I wrote in the early 1980s for Vax/VMS and MSDOS), it's not something that I want to spend a couple years on.

On the other hand, I complain enough about CMake, Gradle and similar tools that maybe I should. I've got some ideas to try out . . . . :-)

[matheusmoreira]

It'd be nice to see those ideas realized. I have some ideas myself but haven't started anything yet because I've been focusing on my studies. I already have one small project that I work on in my free time.

My problem with most build systems is they're general purpose tools. I need to teach them how my projects work every single time. It'd be so much nicer if I could encode my conventions on the system itself.

Starting a new project should be as easy as initializing a git repository and putting the right files in the right directories. The build system should be able to at least figure out where the sources are based on convention and determine the dependencies between files.

[arbie]

Because making a new build automation system is akin to making a new standard. Or trying to build a better mousetrap.

[codetrotter]

I’ve used a few different build systems over time. A handful of them I’ve found quite agreeable, others not so much.

I once even went as far as writing a rudimentary build system from scratch myself for use in one of my personal projects. In that particular case, implementing my own build system turned out to be the right choice, but I also gained some insight into just how difficult it is to create a good build system so I would like to echo your sentiment about thanking the people that spend time developing fully fledged build systems.

I’ve never heard of meson before. A cursory glance at the meson docs is telling me that meson is worth looking into further. Thanks!

[wirrbel]

Meson is likeable and with ninja has a great user experience. I do think it is much easier to understand than cmake (and I have some years of cmake usage under my belt(