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Buck2: Our open source build system

(engineering.fb.com)
392 points mfiguiere | 3 comments | 06 Apr 23 16:05 UTC | HN request time: 0.521s | source
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phendrenad2 ◴[06 Apr 23 21:48 UTC] No.35474996[source]▶
> Build systems stand between a programmer and running their code, so anything we can do to make the experience quicker or more productive directly impacts how effective a developer can be.

How about doing away with the build system entirely? Build systems seem like something that shouldn't exist. When I create a new C# .NET app in Visual Studio 2019, what "build system" does it use? You might have an academic answer, but that's beside the point. It doesn't matter. It just builds. Optimizing a build system feels like a lack of vision, and getting stuck in a local maxima where you think you're being more productive, but you're not seeing the bigger picture of what could be possible.

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palata ◴[06 Apr 23 22:09 UTC] No.35475210[source]▶
How do you think VS builds your code?
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1. phendrenad2 ◴[06 Apr 23 23:50 UTC] No.35476164[source]▶
The point is it doesn't matter. What it's doing internally isn't interesting to me, a programmer. I'd rather not think about it. Unfortunately, people have decided that microoptimizations like writing declarative build definitions by hand is beneficial, so I've had to learn many build systems.
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2. __float ◴[07 Apr 23 04:58 UTC] No.35478187[source]▶
The way it builds your software is also a declarative build system: MSBuild. It happens to be configured in XML instead of a Python-like language, and the IDE integration is probably better than what you get from Buck or similar.

Building software can be complex sometimes, and _pretending_ it's a "microoptimization" to care about that is unnecessarily diminutive.

3. palata ◴[07 Apr 23 09:13 UTC] No.35479744[source]▶
Well first, there is a build system in your VS. The fact that you don't know about it does not magically make it disappear. Some people have to understand some of it. For instance the person who maintains your project for you, apparently (because you'd rather not think about it).

It's like if I said "I don't really know to understand the details of how a CPU works in my daily job. What about we just removed CPUs entirely?".