> Make is for executing shell commands on file patterns with dependency rules.
Yep absolutely. Make is a system for generating files from other files, it is that simple. Compiling templates and code, generating source maps, concatenating, minifying -- many of these tasks all fall under that umbrella.
> It's not designed to use an ecosystem of plugins or have long running processes (eg. to run a local server or watch for file changes).
You're right, I wouldn't advocate that either. Procfiles and tools like foreman (and it's various reimplementations, like honcho) are for managing those processes: development servers, file watchers, etc. That's actually my own personal approach, I go for the Makefile/Procfile combo and run `foreman start` to boot up the a server and any other processes that project might need. Works pretty well for me.
> Make isn't a bad tool; for very doing some specific things. Specifically building c code on unix-ish systems.
That's a pretty narrow view, like I said earlier, it's good for any application where you're generating files from other files. Building an ebook, managing unwieldy SSH configurations (smdh at lack of include directive in SSH config), etc.
So yeah I agree make is no good at being an all-in-one everything-and-the-kitchen-sink suite. And that's great. It has one job and does it well enough, and is even better complemented by other tools. Some people like the suite approach better, but I wouldn't disparage make for something it wasn't intended to do to begin with.