title: What is the difference between % and * in a makefile
body: <p>The <a href="http://www.gnu.org/software/make/manual/make.html#Text-Functions" rel="noreferrer">GNU <code>make</code> manual</a> does not excel at explaining this part, I could not find the explanation or I could not infer the information elsewhere.</p>
  
  <p>I realize <code>%</code> is a kind of wildcard, but what is the difference between <code>%</code> and <code>*</code> in the context of <code>targets</code>, <code>dependencies</code> and <code>commands</code>? Where can I use it and does it have the same meaning everywhere?</p>
  
  <pre><code>target: dependencies ...
      commands
  </code></pre>