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Maybe I'm wrong, but I always assumed CMake was optimized for the C language (thus the name)? That's at least what I've always seen it used for.

What would you gain if you're using it for other, less supported languages, like Javascript?

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It lets you generate makefiles in a less verbose way. Like if you have a lot of files in a project or a bunch of targets Makefiles can get a bit unwieldy by themselves.

I've only ever used it for C++, but I don't see why it (or something like it) couldn't be used for other languages too.

CMake is mostly dedicated to C/C++ projects, but also has built-in support for assembly, Fortran, and Java. CMake has templates for adding a new language as well. The benefits are: cross-platform "shell" commands (you can copy files without using an explicit cp), standard lookup for programs, and easy target generation from a collection of files. Most languages are pretty similar to C/C++ when it comes to the build cycle. Portability (i.e. testing for existence of headers) is less of a concern for something like Javascript, but everything else still applies.

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