As long as you've got a basic unix like environment what's hard about being cross platform? Last time I tried it was very simple, at least with higher level lan

As long as you've got a basic unix like environment what's hard about being cross platform? Last time I tried it was very simple, at least with higher level languages and using gnu make specific features. For build tools I think "defining their own platform" tends to be a better description than being cross platform, the have there own languages, tools and idioms. In this case it's on top of the java platform as well.