there _is_ a huge amount of smart folks who worked or works on build systems. 
Sadly, it seems everyone is 80% better than the others in something and 20% lacking in something else.<p>For example, the SCons wiki has some interesting comparisons.<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;bitbucket.org&#x2F;scons&#x2F;scons&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;SconsVsOtherBuildTools" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;bitbucket.org&#x2F;scons&#x2F;scons&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;SconsVsOtherBuildTool...</a>