SCons is a software construction tool (build tool, or make tool) implemented in Python, that uses Python scripts as "configuration files" for software builds. Based on the design that won the Software Carpentry build tool competition, SCons solves a number of problems associated with other build tools, especially including the classic and ubiquitous Make itself.
In its evolution, SCons will be more general than a make replacement, it will be a Gnu Build System replacement. The Gnu Build System (GBS) is also known as the set of Autotools (autoconf, automake, autoheader, etc...)
Distinctive features of SCons include:
- modular design, lending itself to embedding in other applications
a GlobalView of all dependencies in the source tree
an improved model for ParallelBuilds (-j)
- automatic scanning of files for dependencies
- use of MD5 signatures for deciding whether a file is up-to-date
- use of MD5 signatures instead of traditional file timestamps available as an option
- use of Python functions or objects to build target files
- easy user extensibility.