Could you be more explicit about what you need? You can already run "firststart"
(or only "firststart-merge") to run the netbeans targets in all modules, and
"clean" to run the clean targets in all modules.

I dislikes that default target does the first start. It in many cases kills
other JVMs or even X server. 

I would like to use following development cycle:
while(!coded()) {
  code_somehing()
  [ant clean]
  ant compile
}
ant clean
ant 
...
cvs commit  

I guess you would change your development cycle only on one line:

<!-- -->
while(!coded()) {
  code_somehing()
  [ant clean]
  ant firststart-merge
}
ant clean
ant 
...
cvs commit
<!-- -->

Target firststart-merge compiles all sources and merges compiled code to 
directory tree under nbbuild/netbeans.

Is that what you wanted?

I forgot to write, that first start is not run.

BTW: I'm curious about cases when firststart causes kill of JVMs or X server. 
Would you be more descriptive about that?

Your suggestion is a step forward however I looking for primitive task: compile.
I do not want any compile plus something.

Regarding problems caused by first start at X server:
I seems that it is related to Netscape. It never occures if Netscape is not just
being used during the first start wants to hide its windows.

I guess that current version of NbMerge.java doesn't support it.
Talk to Jesse about your request on nbmerge ant task in firststart-merge target 
in nbbuild/build.xml.
I guess that nbmerge task does all the work (compilation and merging release 
directories together).

Don't you want to simply compile one module? In that case just e.g.:

ant -f ...../core/build.xml compile

I don't see any real need to split apart firststart-merge even more; if you want
to check compilability of fresh code, do it per-module; if you want to check
whether build scripts work, use firststart-merge or per-module 'netbeans'
target; if you want to see if the IDE works, then firststart (or trybuild or
whatever).

I run firststart on Linux all the time and Netscape is unaffected, not sure what
is wrong with your installation, but anyway...

Target milestone -> 3.3

Petr,

do you still need this or can I resolve WONTFIX?

I still miss this functionality in main build script. 

Lowering priority in flavor of other build enhancements such as cross
version building.

Resolving REMIND

Target milestone was changed from not determined to TBD