I've been frustrated with CMake/Autotools for years, so I built Catalyst - a declarative build system for C++ that uses YAML profiles instead of imperative scripts.
Key ideas: - Profile composition (debug + release = debug-release) - Per-target isolation with reproducible builds - Built-in dependency management (vcpkg, git, local, system)
This is still early/rough, but it works for me and my projects. Would love feedback and people to check it out.