Re: Unable to build modular-xorg-server, now difference between make & bmake

[Michael Parson <mparson%bl.org@localhost>]

On Tue, 15 Feb 2011, Thomas Mueller wrote:

> > Why are you using "bmake" under NetBSD? NetBSD's own "make" works just
> > fine. It looks like you boot-strapped under NetBSD which isn't necessary.
>
> >         Kind regards
>
> > Matthias Scheler                                  http://zhadum.org.uk/
>
> I wanted to ask what was the difference between make and bmake.  Are
> they the same in NetBSD but different in other OSes?

'bmake' is the same as NetBSD's make.  I've always assumed the 'b'
prefix was notating that this version of make conformed to the BSD
'make'.

Linux uses GNU-make as it's default 'make'.

The pkgsrc system was originally developed on NetBSD and its makefiles
make extensive use of BSD-specific features, which is why you need
'bmake' on non-NetBSD hosts in order to build stuff in pkgsrc.

> I see where NetBSD pkgsrc would need bmake to make sure of
> compatibility when pkgsrc is ported outside NetBSD.
>
> I ran "man" on NetBSD make, pkgsrc bmake, and Linux make, noticed that
> the use of "+=" in variable assignments showed up in man pages for
> NetBSD make, pkgsrc bmake, but not Linux make.

That would be one of the BSD specific features.

> I could conceivably bootstrap pkgsrc in Linux just to get bmake even
> if I don't want to use the pkgsrc framework in Linux, or I could find
> the source code and build.  Now I find pmake through a Google search
> on BSD make vs GNU make, and I see, by running
>
> ls /usr/bin/*make*
>
> that there are several makes including pmake, which may be what I was
> looking for.

pmake is another make, looks like it was developed by the BSD team
for 4.4BSD, it might even be a recent ancestor to NetBSD's make (and
pkgsrc's bmake).

--
Michael Parson
mparson%bl.org@localhost