3 &SCons; is a software construction tool (build tool, or make tool)
4 implemented in Python, which uses Python scripts as "configuration
5 files" for software builds. Based on the design which won the
6 Software Carpentry build tool competition, &SCons; solves a number of
7 problems associated with other build tools, especially including the
8 classic and ubiquitous &Make; itself.
14 Distinctive features of &SCons; include: a modular design that
15 lends itself to being embedded in other applications; a global
16 view of all dependencies in the source tree; an improved model for
17 parallel (<option>-j</option>) builds; automatic scanning of files for
18 dependencies; use of MD5 signatures for deciding whether a file
19 is up-to-date; use of traditional file timestamps instead of
20 MD5 signatures available as an option;
21 use of Python functions or objects to build target files; easy user
28 This paper discusses the goals of the &SCons; project, gives an overview
29 of the design of &SCons; itself, describes the development process used,
30 and discusses future plans and directions for the tool.