Makefile: low verbosity by default

Makefile

@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ else
     $(MAKE) LD=$(CC) $(HANDLE_OUTPUT)
   EXE_SUFFIX :=
 endif
-BUILD_NIM := echo "Building the Nim compiler." && \
+BUILD_NIM := echo -e $(BUILD_MSG) "Nim compiler" && \
 	cd $(NIM_DIR) && \
 	rm -rf bin/nim_csources csources dist/nimble && \
 	ln -s ../Nim-csources csources && \
@@ -90,16 +90,21 @@ TOOLS_CSV := $(subst $(SPACE),$(COMMA),$(TOOLS))
 # default target, because it's the first one that doesn't start with '.'
 all: $(TOOLS) nimbus
 
+#- when the special ".SILENT" target is present, all recipes are silenced as if they all had a "@" prefix
+#- by setting SILENT_TARGET_PREFIX to a non-empty value, the name of this target becomes meaningless to `make`
+#- idea stolen from http://make.mad-scientist.net/managing-recipe-echoing/
+$(SILENT_TARGET_PREFIX).SILENT:
+
 # builds the tools, wherever they are
 $(TOOLS): | build deps
 	for D in $(TOOLS_DIRS); do [ -e "$${D}/$@.nim" ] && TOOL_DIR="$${D}" && break; done && \
-		$(ENV_SCRIPT) nim c $(NIM_PARAMS) -o:build/$@ "$${TOOL_DIR}/$@.nim" && \
-		echo -e "\nThe binary is in './build/$@'.\n"
+		echo -e $(BUILD_MSG) "build/$@" && \
+		$(ENV_SCRIPT) nim c $(NIM_PARAMS) -o:build/$@ "$${TOOL_DIR}/$@.nim"
 
 # a phony target, because teaching `make` how to do conditional recompilation of Nim projects is too complicated
 nimbus: | build deps
-	$(ENV_SCRIPT) nim nimbus $(NIM_PARAMS) nimbus.nims && \
-		echo -e "\nThe binary is in './build/nimbus'.\n"
+	echo -e $(BUILD_MSG) "build/$@" && \
+		$(ENV_SCRIPT) nim nimbus $(NIM_PARAMS) nimbus.nims
 
 # dir
 build:

README.md

@@ -124,11 +124,11 @@ You can now follow those instructions in the previous section by replacing `make
 
 - the Premix debugging tools are [documented separately](premix/readme.md)
 
-- you can control the Makefile's verbosity with the V variable (defaults to 1):
+- you can control the Makefile's verbosity with the V variable (defaults to 0):
 
 ```bash
-make V=0 # quiet
-make V=2 test # more verbose than usual
+make V=1 # verbose
+make V=2 test # even more verbose
 ```
 
 - same for the [Chronicles log level](https://github.com/status-im/nim-chronicles#chronicles_log_level):

common.mk

@@ -3,14 +3,18 @@ SHELL := bash # the shell used internally by "make"
 #- extra parameters for the Nim compiler
 #- NIMFLAGS should come from the environment or make's command line
 NIM_PARAMS := $(NIMFLAGS)
+
 # verbosity level
-V := 1
+V := 0
 NIM_PARAMS := $(NIM_PARAMS) --verbosity:$(V)
 HANDLE_OUTPUT :=
+SILENT_TARGET_PREFIX := disabled
 ifeq ($(V), 0)
   NIM_PARAMS := $(NIM_PARAMS) --hints:off --warnings:off
   HANDLE_OUTPUT := &>/dev/null
+  SILENT_TARGET_PREFIX :=
 endif
+
 # Chronicles log level
 LOG_LEVEL :=
 ifdef LOG_LEVEL
@@ -22,3 +26,6 @@ COMMA := ,
 EMPTY :=
 SPACE := $(EMPTY) $(EMPTY)
 
+# coloured messages
+BUILD_MSG := "\\e[92mBuilding:\\e[39m"
+