6 ms·

How does Meson compare to other build systems like bagel?

• qznc 5y ago
  It is Cmake with Python syntax.
  • tomn 5y ago
    Meson internals have nothing to do with cmake, and the syntax is not python. If you want to make that comparison, meson is more restrictive than cmake, but tends to have more functionality built-in to make up for it. bazel is more all-encompasing than either, as it's more about reproducible and distributed builds than a "better makefile" type system.
  • kortex 5y ago
    That doesn't strike me as a good characterization. Especially because both Python and Cmake are quite imperative. Meson is declarative with an emphasis on immutability. It's "cmake in role only" - both are build systems, that's where the similarity falls apart. The syntax is very pythonic, however, I think that's true of many ergonomic centric formats.
    • SAI_Peregrinus 5y ago
      CMake is two smaller systems in a trenchcoat, with a creepy stalker following along. There's the 3.0+ CMakeLists.txt syntax, which is a nice declarative target-based system. There's the *.cmake language syntax for finding dependencies and other scripting, which is a C'thonian horror mix of imperative and declarative bits that the trench coat tries to hide. Then there's the creepy pre-3.0 stalker, the old syntax for both. Non-target based, imperative bits sneaking in everywhere, makes Autotools look sane.