Unknown Targets

If a target is named either on the command line or in a dependency list, and it

• Is not a file present in the working directory

• Has no target or dependency entry

• Does not belong to a class of files for which an implicit rule is defined

• Has no SCCS history file, and

• There is no rule specified for the .DEFAULT special target

Then make stops processing and issues an error message.

$ make believe 
make: Fatal error: Don't know how to make target `believe'.

However, if the -k option is in effect, make continues with the other targets that do not depend on the one in which the error occurred.