Linux - environment variables $HOME versus $(HOME)

Question

Recently I had to update my JAVA environment variable in .bashrc

echo $JAVA_HOME # prints out /usr/java/...

echo $(JAVA_HOME) # raises error "can't find JAVA_HOME command"

I'm worried that my make file, which uses $(JAVA_HOME) won't work since $JAVA_HOME gets recognized, but not $(JAVA_HOME)

How can I get $(JAVA_HOME) to equal $JAVA_HOME, which is currently set? Also, why does this happen?

thanks

Answer 1

make is not bash

They deal with variables differently. $foo is how you read a variable called foo in bash, and $(foo) is how you read it in a makefile.