# \[ANN\] Rake -- Make Like Scripting for Ruby

**URL:** <https://rubytalk.org/t/ann-rake-make-like-scripting-for-ruby/5242>\
**Category:** ruby-talk\
**Created:** [20 March 2003 12:54 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/ann-rake-make-like-scripting-for-ruby/5242 "2003-03-20T12:54:01Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Jim\_Weirich2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecc23a/32.png) [@Jim\_Weirich2](https://rubytalk.org/u/Jim_Weirich2)\
**Post date:** [20 March 2003 12:54 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/ann-rake-make-like-scripting-for-ruby/5242/1 "2003-03-20T12:54:01Z")

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I’ve released the an initial version of Rake and put it into the RAA.  
For those who missed the discussion last week, here is a quick summary  
…

This package contains Rake, a simple ruby build program with  
capabilities similar to make.

Rake has the following features:

```
* Rakefiles (rake’s version of Makefiles) are completely defined in

```

standard Ruby syntax. No XML files to edit. No quirky Makefile syntax to  
worry about (is that a tab or a space?)  
\* Users can specify tasks with prerequisites.  
\* Rake supports rule patterns to sythesize implicit tasks.  
\* Rake is lightweight. It can be distributed with other projects as  
a single file. Projects that depend upon rake do not require that rake  
be installed on target systems.

The rake home page is currently [http://w3.one.net/~jweirich/tools/rake/](http://w3.one.net/~jweirich/tools/rake/).

This first official version is quite useful. Lots of people has  
suggestions for future enhancments that will be considered in the  
future, but for now I’m interested in people trying it out and  
excersizing the basic functionality. As always, feedback is welcome.

> **···**
>
> ## – – Jim Weirich [jweirich@one.net](mailto:jweirich@one.net)[http://w3.one.net/~jweirich](http://w3.one.net/~jweirich)
> 
> “Beware of bugs in the above code; I have only proved it correct,  
> not tried it.” – Donald Knuth (in a memo to Peter van Emde Boas)

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**Author:** ![Harry\_Ohlsen1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e57/32.png) [@Harry\_Ohlsen1](https://rubytalk.org/u/Harry_Ohlsen1)\
**Post date:** [21 March 2003 07:49 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/ann-rake-make-like-scripting-for-ruby/5242/2 "2003-03-21T07:49:00Z")

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> This package contains Rake, a simple ruby build program with  
> capabilities similar to make.

Surely, you should have called it “Rant” 🙂 ??

> Rake has the following features:
> 
> … No XML files to edit.

Hallelujah! Well, you’ve obviously already thought about it (Ant, that is).

I’ll definitely give rake a go next week.

Will this be the “killer app” that convinces my colleagues? I doubt it, but it’s bound to make them think!

Harry O.