SN-DBS 2.0 released free for PlayStation devs
by Nick Doerr 
{ Oct 14th 2007 at 10:00PM }
Compile times, that's it! SN-DBS is a tool that apparently reduces compile times by "distributing source code builds between cooperating PCs over a network." The improvements made in 2.0 for developers includes "building multiple projects in parallel, faster builds, an improved GUI with project view and improved support for asset builds." Well, it's nothing we'll see on the gaming end, but it's nice to know Sony is continuing to roll out free tools and support for interested developer studios.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
dustandechoes91 @ Oct 14th 2007 10:03PM
If i cannot understand what that means.....will this benefit me in any way?
ekbigpimping @ Oct 14th 2007 10:07PM
yea better games
Darkdrium777 @ Oct 14th 2007 10:28PM
Game code will be compiled faster which in turn will cost the devs less, so they will complain less about production costs.
But still, if the game is crap, compiling the code faster won't help it. ;)
Starfire @ Oct 14th 2007 10:36PM
This is good news, for sure. I hope it can help people make more use of the SPEs in Cell.
Hal @ Oct 14th 2007 11:20PM
Jeeze. How long could it have taken to compile before the update?
Regardless, hooray for progress.
Kattleox @ Oct 14th 2007 11:27PM
Maybe Gabe Newell will stop hating us...nah.
Kxpuc @ Oct 14th 2007 11:42PM
when dealing with large amount of code it could take quite awhile if you were reaching towards the 50GB level on the disk. And like the site said faster compiles = less time = more time to write more code = more productivity = hopefully shorter development time = cheaper to make = increase want to develop for system
ruibing @ Oct 15th 2007 12:35AM
I hope Sony continue improving their dev tools such that they can be used much more easily. Who knows, they could even someday start something like the Wii Ware thing, at least for the PSN.
Skyfire360 @ Oct 15th 2007 12:39AM
@5
It doesn't usually take hours to compile a project, but something like the GarageGames Torque engine takes around 20 mins to do a full compile. If you have to recompile the entire project 36 times a week, that's 12 hours spent waiting for a project to compile - over a day's worth of man hours and a day's worth of wasted salary.
If we assume the diminishing returns shown by the graph to reach 20 percent of original compile time with six computers aiding in the compile, your original 12 hours spent waiting to compile turns into just under 2.5. That's a lot of time saved!
jadedcritic @ Oct 15th 2007 12:44AM
Oh, I don't quite buy this stuff about saving money. My last job even when the code was compiling it wasn't like the engineers sat around spinning their thumbs waiting for something to do. Most of the official builds compiled overnight. They'd make copies of the build, crunch the code for whatever part they were reponsible for, and when it is was finished - go get permission from the managers to check it into the main build. When there was a new build they'd just copy it for their own work and repeat the whole thing all over again.
jadedcritic @ Oct 15th 2007 12:54AM
Wonder if these things can't use standard languages. Never thought about that before.
Skyfire360 @ Oct 15th 2007 1:19AM
@10
True, my example was a best-case scenario. Most compilers nowadays are incremental linkers, so this won't help much when compiling single files.
Edge @ Oct 15th 2007 1:40AM
That's actually pretty cool. My last employer was working on a grid computing project like this for their calculations.
mnemo @ Oct 15th 2007 3:46AM
How cute. Something that the open-source distcc was doing with the GNU C compiler for years.
Popfrogs @ Oct 15th 2007 10:19AM
The cool thing is they're making this faster compiler available to all Sony devs, not just PS3 developers. So PSP and PS2 (die already) software can be built faster as well.
Imbro @ Oct 15th 2007 1:06PM
Faster compile time gives the developers more oportunities to test things. More full compiled tests means less bugs, and gives more room for trial and error (giving us better controls, better optimization and perhaps even innovation). How's that for an end user advantage?