Many build systems exist to help people build their projects in a cogent manner and avoid the stupefying (albeit powerful) makefile: CMake, scons, boost.build, bjam, ant, etc. Each has its following, often based on the propensity of the audience (C/C++, python, Java).
Here’s another to add to the mix: Cake. And this brief intro on the Boost-interest digest makes the pitch.
No makefile at all. You put compiler flags right in the source code, and it walks your source, looking for special comments and using some naming conventions.
I like the idea of compiler flags in the source. Source-code attributes like dllimport and pragma comment(lib…) prove that’s useful.
You need g++ and make (behind the scenes), so that constrains its user base. Will the naming conventions be too restrictive? It uses a global configuration (in /etc/), but I can envision wanting a project-specific common configuration file, too, being the control freak I am. Will it accommodate?
Put it on your watch list.