From the docs I'm told that I must have XCode installed in order to get gcc and make tools.
I have MacOSX with gcc and make installed separately via homebrew.
I'd much rather not install XCode as it messes with a bunch of other stuff and starts taking liberties that I don't like.
Will there ever be an option to install without needing XCode?
Not an officially supported one. Certainly not in the near future, quite possibly never.