Some reasons to use (g)make

The following excerpt from the ISconf history describes well why I like make(1) for writing scripts:

Its functionality is dependent on three key features:

• Deterministic Ordering
• Failure on error
• State maintenance

Because make is the only tool that fulfills all of these requirements in its default state, it was chosen as the basis for ISconf.

I think make(1) is specially good for those scripts that will be called directly from the command line.