ronin 1.1.1
Rōnin
License: Apache License Version 2.0

Rōnin
=====

A straightforward but powerful build system based on
`Ninja <https://ninja-build.org/>`__ and
`Python <https://www.python.org/>`__, suitable for projects both big and
small.

Rōnin comes in `frustration-free
packaging <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrap_rage>`__. Let's build all
the things!

Features
--------

Currently supported out-of-the-box: all `gcc <https://gcc.gnu.org/>`__
languages, `Java <https://www.oracle.com/java/>`__,
`Rust <https://www.rust-lang.org/>`__, `Go <https://golang.org/>`__,
`Vala <https://wiki.gnome.org/Projects/Vala>`__/`Genie <https://wiki.gnome.org/Projects/Genie>`__,
`pkg-config <https://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/pkg-config/>`__,
`Qt tools <https://www.qt.io/>`__,
`sdl2-config <https://wiki.libsdl.org/Installation>`__, and
`binutils <https://sourceware.org/binutils/docs/binutils/>`__.

It's also easy to integrate your favorite `testing
framework <https://github.com/tliron/ronin/wiki/Testing%20and%20Running>`__.

"Based on Python" means that not only is it written in Python, but also
it uses **Python as the DSL** for build scripts. Many build systems
invent their own DSLs, but Rōnin intentionally uses a language that
already exists. There's no hidden cost to this design choice: build
scripts are pretty much as concise and coherent as any specialized DSL.
You *don't* need to be an expert in Python to use Rōnin, but its power
is at your fingertips if you need it.

Rōnin supports **Unicode** throughout: Ninja files are created in UTF-8
by default and you can include Unicode characters in your build scripts.

Python 3 is recommended, but Rōnin can also run on Python 2.7.

Download
--------

The latest release is available on
`PyPI <https://pypi.python.org/pypi/ronin>`__, so you can install with
``pip``, ``easy_install``, or ``setuptools``. On Debian/Ubuntu:

::

    sudo apt install python3-pip
    sudo -H pip3 install ronin

Since Ninja is just one small self-contained executable, it's easy to
get it by downloading the `latest
release <https://github.com/ninja-build/ninja/releases>`__. Just make
sure it's in your execution path, or run your build script with
``--set ninja.command=`` and give it the full path to ``ninja``. Older
versions (they work fine) may also be available in your operating
system. On Debian/Ubuntu:

::

    sudo apt install ninja-build 

Documentation
-------------

An undocumented system is a broken system. We strive for coherent,
comprehensive, and up-to-date documentation.

A detailed user manual is available on the
`wiki <https://github.com/tliron/ronin/wiki>`__.

If you prefer to learn by example, `there are
many <https://github.com/tliron/ronin/tree/master/examples>`__.

Rich API docs available on `Read the
Docs <http://ronin.readthedocs.io/en/latest/>`__.

Feelings
--------

Guiding lights:

1. **Powerful does not have to mean hard to use**: *optional*
   auto-configuration with sensible, *overridable* defaults.
2. **Complex does not have to mean complicated**: handle
   cross-compilation and other multi-configuration builds in a single
   script with minimal duplication of effort.

Design principles:

1. **Don't hide functionality behind complexity**: the architecture
   should be straightforward. For example, if the user wants to
   manipulate a compiler command line, let them do it easily. Too many
   build systems bungle this and make it either impossible or very
   difficult to do something that would be trivial using a shell script.
2. **Pour some sugar on me**: make common tasks easier with sweet
   utility functions. But make sure that sugar is optional, allowing the
   script to be more verbose when more control is necessary.
3. **Don't reinvent wheels**: if Python or Ninja do something for us,
   use it. The build script is a plain Python program without any
   unnecessary cleverness. The generated Ninja file looks like something
   you could have created manually.

FAQ
---

-  *Do we really need another build system?* Yes. The other existing
   ones have convoluted architectures, impossible to opt-out-from
   automatic features, or are otherwise hostile to straightforward
   hacking. After so much wasted time fighting build systems to make
   them work for us, the time came to roll out a new one that does it
   right.
-  *Python is too hard. Why not create a simpler DSL?* Others have done
   it, and it seems that the costs outweigh the benefits. Making a new
   language is not trivial. Making a *robust* language could take years
   of effort. Python is here right now, with a huge ecosystem of
   libraries and tools. Yes, it introduces a learning curve, but getting
   familiar with Python is useful for so many practical reasons beyond
   writing build scripts for Rōnin. That said, if someone wants to
   contribute a simple DSL as an optional extra, we will consider!
-  *Why require Ninja, a binary, instead of building everything in 100%
   Python?* Because it's silly to reinvent wheels, especially when the
   wheels are so good. Ninja is a one-trick pony that does its job
   extremely well. But it's just too low-level for most users, hence the
   need for a frontend.
-  *Why Ninja? It's already yesterday's news! There are even faster
   builders.* Eh, if you ignore the initial configuration phase, and are
   properly multithreading your build (``-j`` flag in Make), then the
   time you wait for the build to finish ends up depending on your
   compiler, not the build system. Ninja was chosen because of its
   marvelous minimalism, not its speed. Ninja is actually `not
   much <http://david.rothlis.net/ninja-benchmark/>`__
   `faster <http://hamelot.io/programming/make-vs-ninja-performance-comparison/>`__
   than Make. For a similarly minimalist build system, see
   `tup <http://gittup.org/tup/>`__.

Similar Projects
----------------

-  `bfg9000 <https://github.com/jimporter/bfg9000>`__: "bfg9000 is a
   cross-platform build configuration system with an emphasis on making
   it easy to define how to build your software."
-  `emk <https://github.com/kmackay/emk>`__: "A Python-based build
   tool."
-  `Craftr <https://craftr.net/>`__: "Craftr is a next generation build
   system based on Ninja and Python that features modular and
   cross-platform build definitions at the flexibility of a Python
   script and provides access to multiple levels of build automation
   abstraction."
-  `Meson <http://mesonbuild.com/>`__: "Meson is an open source build
   system meant to be both extremely fast, and, even more importantly,
   as user friendly as possible."
-  `pyrate <https://github.com/pyrate-build/pyrate-build>`__: "pyrate is
   a small python based build file generator targeting ninja(s)."
-  `Waf <https://waf.io/>`__: "The meta build system."