The short answer is yes, they are (well, can be) easier and faster and work better. I would strongly recommend watching this talk if you want to understand why

The short answer is yes, they are (well, can be) easier and faster and work better. I would strongly recommend watching this talk if you want to understand why systems like Bazel and Please were created: Build Systems with Andrey Mokhov (Jane Street) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9YA32uV3Ls https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9YA32uV3Ls