README - ant - Git at Google


                                  A     N     T


   What is it?
   -----------

   Ant is a Java based build tool. In theory it is kind of like "make"
   without makes wrinkles and with the full portability of pure java code.


   Why?
   ----

   Why another build tool when there is already make, gnumake, nmake, jam,
   and others? Because all of those tools have limitations that its original
   author couldn't live with when developing software across multiple platforms.

   Make-like tools are inherently shell based. They evaluate a set of
   dependencies and then execute commands not unlike what you would issue on a
   shell. This means that you can easily extend these tools by using or writing
   any program for the OS that you are working on. However, this also means that
   you limit yourself to the OS, or at least the OS type such as Unix, that you
   are working on.

   Makefiles are inherently evil as well. Anybody who has worked on them for any
   time has run into the dreaded tab problem. "Is my command not executing
   because I have a space in front of my tab!!!" said the original author of Ant
   way too many times. Tools like Jam took care of this to a great degree, but
   still use yet another format to use and remember.

   Ant is different. Instead a model where it is extended with shell based
   commands, it is extended using Java classes. Instead of writing shell
   commands, the configuration files are XML based calling out a target tree
   where various tasks get executed. Each task is run by an object which
   implements a particular Task interface.

   Granted, this removes some of the expressive power that is inherent by being
   able to construct a shell command such as `find . -name foo -exec rm {}` but
   it gives you the ability to be cross platform. To work anywhere and
   everywhere. And hey, if you really need to execute a shell command, Ant has
   an exec rule that allows different commands to be executed based on the OS
   that it is executing on.

   The Latest Version
   ------------------

   Details of the latest version can be found on the Apache Ant
   Project web site <http://ant.apache.org/>.


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

   Documentation is available in HTML format, in the docs/ directory.
   For information about building and installing Ant, see
   docs/manual/index.html


   Licensing
   ---------

   This software is licensed under the terms you may find in the file
   named "LICENSE" in this directory.

   This distribution includes cryptographic software.  The country in
   which you currently reside may have restrictions on the import,
   possession, use, and/or re-export to another country, of
   encryption software.  BEFORE using any encryption software, please
   check your country's laws, regulations and policies concerning the
   import, possession, or use, and re-export of encryption software, to
   see if this is permitted.  See <http://www.wassenaar.org/> for more
   information.

   The U.S. Government Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and
   Security (BIS), has classified this software as Export Commodity
   Control Number (ECCN) 5D002.C.1, which includes information security
   software using or performing cryptographic functions with asymmetric
   algorithms.  The form and manner of this Apache Software Foundation
   distribution makes it eligible for export under the License Exception
   ENC Technology Software Unrestricted (TSU) exception (see the BIS
   Export Administration Regulations, Section 740.13) for both object
   code and source code.

   The following provides more details on the included cryptographic
   software:

   For the SSH family of tasks (<sshexec> and <scp>) Ant requires the
   JSch <http://www.jcraft.com/jsch/index.html> library as well as the
   Java Cryptography extensions
   <http://java.sun.com/javase/technologies/security/>.  Ant does not
   include these libraries itself, but is designed to use them.

   Thanks for using Ant.

                                           The Apache Ant Project
                                          <http://ant.apache.org/>

	A N T


	What is it?
	-----------

	Ant is a Java based build tool. In theory it is kind of like "make"
	without makes wrinkles and with the full portability of pure java code.


	Why?
	----

	Why another build tool when there is already make, gnumake, nmake, jam,
	and others? Because all of those tools have limitations that its original
	author couldn't live with when developing software across multiple platforms.

	Make-like tools are inherently shell based. They evaluate a set of
	dependencies and then execute commands not unlike what you would issue on a
	shell. This means that you can easily extend these tools by using or writing
	any program for the OS that you are working on. However, this also means that
	you limit yourself to the OS, or at least the OS type such as Unix, that you
	are working on.

	Makefiles are inherently evil as well. Anybody who has worked on them for any
	time has run into the dreaded tab problem. "Is my command not executing
	because I have a space in front of my tab!!!" said the original author of Ant
	way too many times. Tools like Jam took care of this to a great degree, but
	still use yet another format to use and remember.

	Ant is different. Instead a model where it is extended with shell based
	commands, it is extended using Java classes. Instead of writing shell
	commands, the configuration files are XML based calling out a target tree
	where various tasks get executed. Each task is run by an object which
	implements a particular Task interface.

	Granted, this removes some of the expressive power that is inherent by being
	able to construct a shell command such as `find . -name foo -exec rm {}` but
	it gives you the ability to be cross platform. To work anywhere and
	everywhere. And hey, if you really need to execute a shell command, Ant has
	an exec rule that allows different commands to be executed based on the OS
	that it is executing on.

	The Latest Version
	------------------

	Details of the latest version can be found on the Apache Ant
	Project web site <http://ant.apache.org/>.


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

	Documentation is available in HTML format, in the docs/ directory.
	For information about building and installing Ant, see
	docs/manual/index.html


	Licensing
	---------

	This software is licensed under the terms you may find in the file
	named "LICENSE" in this directory.

	This distribution includes cryptographic software. The country in
	which you currently reside may have restrictions on the import,
	possession, use, and/or re-export to another country, of
	encryption software. BEFORE using any encryption software, please
	check your country's laws, regulations and policies concerning the
	import, possession, or use, and re-export of encryption software, to
	see if this is permitted. See <http://www.wassenaar.org/> for more
	information.

	The U.S. Government Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and
	Security (BIS), has classified this software as Export Commodity
	Control Number (ECCN) 5D002.C.1, which includes information security
	software using or performing cryptographic functions with asymmetric
	algorithms. The form and manner of this Apache Software Foundation
	distribution makes it eligible for export under the License Exception
	ENC Technology Software Unrestricted (TSU) exception (see the BIS
	Export Administration Regulations, Section 740.13) for both object
	code and source code.

	The following provides more details on the included cryptographic
	software:

	For the SSH family of tasks (<sshexec> and <scp>) Ant requires the
	JSch <http://www.jcraft.com/jsch/index.html> library as well as the
	Java Cryptography extensions
	<http://java.sun.com/javase/technologies/security/>. Ant does not
	include these libraries itself, but is designed to use them.

	Thanks for using Ant.

	The Apache Ant Project
	<http://ant.apache.org/>