4.4 Suffix rules

To simplify a `Makefile', there is a special kind of rule syntax known as a suffix rule. This is a wildcard pattern that can match targets. Our first `Makefile' used some. Here is one:

.c.o: $(CC) $(CFLAGS) -c $< -o $@

Unless a more specific rule matches the target being sought, this rule will match any target that ends in `.o'. These files are said to always be dependent on `.c'. With some background material now presented, let's take a look at these tools in use.