2 ms·

It's really only relevant when specifying multiple targets, like 'make clean all', or the more common 'make all install'. It just seemed odd to me.

• xyzzy_plugh 12y ago
  Why would you have `make all install' behave differently than `make install'? I'm imagining specifically when you have the install target present.
  • Leszek 12y ago
    Because `make all install` would first build, then install, while `make install` would just do the installation, regardless of build state.
    • ianstormtaylor 12y ago
      Why not have install do the build state, and then in most cases it wouldn't need to be run at all since the target would be up-to-date? Just curious. I usually structure my targets so that I can run `make test` immediately without having to know what all the random commands are to build/install.
    • wtallis 12y ago
      Wouldn't any sane install target depend on the build products it seeks to install, and consequently build before installing?