Ad just review.

blog/quick_just_review.qmd

@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+---
+title: "Quick Review of Just"
+author: "James Pace"
+date: "2024/01/10"
+draft: true
+---
+
+[Just](https://just.systems/man/en/) is a command runner that operates kind of like make,
+if make was a command runner, not a build tool.
+
+When you call `just <thing>`, just looks for a `Justfile` in a parent directory, and does
+whatever is under the `<thing>` entry in the file, where "things under" includes running a set
+of bash commands or running a script that can be written inline.
+
+For example, given the `Justfile`:
+
+```
+build:
+    cargo build
+
+test:
+   cargo test --features log
+```
+
+the command `just test` will call `cargo test --features log` in the current terminal window.
+
+Compared to `make`, `just`:
+1. Doesn't require `.PHONY` targets for targets that don't produce any files.
+2. Can be called below the directory the `Justfile` is in, and still find the `Justfile`
+   in the parent directory.
+
+In my recent development where I was doing development calling wasm written in rust in a
+web app, I found `just` particularly useful.
+Building the app took multiple commands, one command for compiling the rust part and
+a second command to bundle the JavaScript.
+Combining things under a single `just` target was nice.
+
+I considered just using `make` for this application, but:
+
+1. Having to add .PHONY targets adds line noise that adds up.
+2. I found being able to call `just` from any subdirectory really
+   convenient.