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Linux software loosens bottleneck

Trolltech, a Norwegian company best known for software that's a key part of the KDE Linux graphical environment, has released software to help programmers get around a key performance bottleneck, the company said Monday. Its Teambuilder software for Linux addresses the issue of "compiling" software, the computing-intensive process of converting programs written by humans into low-level instructions a computer can understand. Teambuilder taps into unused computing power of other computers on a network to speed compilation, a concept known as distributed computing. A free personal edition lets as many as three computers collectively tackle the problem. Trolltech also sells commercial versions; a 20-computer version costs $1,800.

Stephen Shankland Former Principal Writer
Stephen Shankland worked at CNET from 1998 to 2024 and wrote about processors, digital photography, AI, quantum computing, computer science, materials science, supercomputers, drones, browsers, 3D printing, USB, and new computing technology in general. He has a soft spot in his heart for standards groups and I/O interfaces. His first big scoop was about radioactive cat poop.
Expertise Processors, semiconductors, web browsers, quantum computing, supercomputers, AI, 3D printing, drones, computer science, physics, programming, materials science, USB, UWB, Android, digital photography, science. Credentials
  • Shankland covered the tech industry for more than 25 years and was a science writer for five years before that. He has deep expertise in microprocessors, digital photography, computer hardware and software, internet standards, web technology, and more.
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Stephen Shankland
Trolltech, a Norwegian company best known for software that's a key part of the KDE Linux graphical environment, has released software to help programmers get around a key performance bottleneck, the company said Monday. Its Teambuilder software for Linux addresses the issue of "compiling" software, the computing-intensive process of converting programs written by humans into low-level instructions a computer can understand.

Teambuilder taps into unused computing power of other computers on a network to speed compilation, a concept known as distributed computing. A free personal edition lets as many as three computers collectively tackle the problem. Trolltech also sells commercial versions; a 20-computer version costs $1,800.