Make
The Unix tool to automate the recompilation, linking etc. of programs, taking account of the interdependencies of modules and their modification times. Make reads instructions from a "makefile" which specifies a set of targets to be built, the files they depend on and the commands to execute in order to produce them.
Most C systems come with a make. There is also one produce by GNU.
["Make - A Program for Maintaining Computer Programs", A.I. Feldman, TR No 57, Bell Labs Apr 1977].