Why does Qt use its own make tool, qmake?

Question

I just started using Qt and noticed that it uses its own make tool, qmake.

• Why does Qt use its own make tool?
• Is there something special that prevents

Answer 1

qmake is designed to be cross platform and flexible. It can compatible with Microsoft Visual Studio and Xcode.

You can find it all in the qmake Manual.

qmake generates a Makefile based on the information in a project file. Project files are created by the developer, and are usually simple, but more sophisticated project files can be created for complex projects. qmake contains additional features to support development with Qt, automatically including build rules for moc and uic. qmake can also generate projects for Microsoft Visual studio without requiring the developer to change the project file.