Introduction

What is this QRBuild blog? It is named after my own build system which can be found here : https://github.com/fifoforlifo/QRBuild . But it's also a place to discuss good and bad things about build systems in general.

Let's face it. Most developers don't want to think about builds, or source organization, or source-control issues on a day-to-day basis. That's not to say that they don't care; they do care deeply in most cases. But when you're on a deadline, you want those things to Just Work (TM), so you can focus on getting the real stuff done. All too often, they get in the way instead.

I'm an ordinary developer who writes system software and debugger tools in my day job.

I have always complained about build systems. But until I wrote my own, I didn't feel like I had the right to complain about existing software. I told myself, "hey, maybe there are some deep unsolvable mysteries here, that a mere bystander could never understand."

Instead, I found that there are some real solid principles that should be applied in any build framework and day-to-day build scripts. And yes, there are the occasional unsolvable problems too. I have found that in the field, it is best to avoid recreating an unsolvable problem, and there are good strategies for doing that too!