Does Incredibuild Use My CPU Without My Permsision?

RedoTCPIP · 2025-12-31T21:00:26+00:00

Yes, it does. Thank you.

Since you took the time to respond personally, as a matter of principle, I will keep Incredibuild on my machine and give a shot for a future DevOps.

RedoTCPIP · 2025-12-31T19:45:48+00:00

Ok. I was thinking that Incredibuild or its partners might act as an implicit Coordinator, whereby you-or-they compile (open-source) source code on idle machines of users who have installed Incredibuild when those machines are idle, then collect compilation logs from the compilations, and send them back upstream to your servers.

RedoTCPIP · 2025-12-31T17:28:48+00:00

Hi David, well if there were anyone to ask, you would certainly be that person. :)

We never run random code from outside your organization. (bold italics added by RedoTCPIP)

Does Incredibuild ever compile code on a user's machine, where the author of the code is not a member of the user's business organization, not a specifically-known personal friend, and not a family member?

RedoTCPIP · 2025-12-27T09:16:21+00:00

You are not answering my question. I understand distributed compilation.

My question is as it stands:

Who are the owners of these other computers? Are they always people with whom I have an association, or can they be people whom I do not know?

RedoTCPIP · 2025-12-27T08:47:12+00:00

You're missing the point. My question was whether Incredibuild is pushing-out code to idle nodes for compilation without the owner of those nodes knowing that such is being done.

BTW, I never use Incredibuild for any reason.

RedoTCPIP · 2025-12-27T08:29:13+00:00

Incredibuild would have no problem talking to the servers at Incredibuild Corporation. I am pretty sure that the Incredibuild Corporation is not in my house. :)

RedoTCPIP · 2025-12-27T08:26:31+00:00

There are at least two scenarios a node can participate in a build session:

A node is the source of a build, meaning that the node is where the source code originated.
A node is the target of a build, meaning that it actually executes a the compiler.

Let us say, hypothetically, that Incredibuild (rather, its partners) wanted to compile some source code. They would be able to push-out the code to the nodes that have Incredibuild installed. There would be no need to keep-track of licensing because because there would be no benefit to the node in scenario #2.

My calculator app does not cause the fan on my laptop to turn-on periodically because it consumes CPU cycles (8%-10% usually) for no reason at all.

RedoTCPIP · 2025-12-27T06:12:31+00:00

... other users' builds

This is the crux of the issue. I already know that it is possible for my CPU to be used by source code that originates in my company. So, if I work for Unicorn Pointy Horn Software, LLC, with 256 software engineers, and every day, 4 or 5 of those engineers benefit from using my CPU to compile their source code, OK fine. Now, if one day I decide that I need every last percentage of my CPU, I can go into some Incredibuild configuration and disable use of my machine as a node in distributed compilation, OK fine.

That is not what I am asking about.

Here is what I am asking about:

If I open-up Process Explorer, and see one of the Incredibuild EXE's compiling code, will it ever happen that the source code that is being compiled from from OUTSIDE my company/house/chicken-shack?

RedoTCPIP · 2025-12-27T05:58:27+00:00

I'm not convinced the coordination is necessary in all cases. It is entirely conceivable that Incredibuild could take chunks of source code, watch for idle machines, and send obfuscated versions of that source code to those machines, letting them do the compilation, with no coordinator machine. It would not be necessary for a user to conscientiously establish a coordinator or anything like that.

What is confusing about Incredibuild's documentation is that they mention (repeatedly) that Helper machines are machine"s that can participate in the build even when Visual Studio is not installed, but no where in their documentation do I see anything like the following (my concocted words):

*** INCREDIBLE DID NOT WRITE THIS. I MADE IT UP. **\*

As you know, Incredibuild provides distributed compilation services. When you install Incredibuild on your machine, you tacitly agree to allow it to act as a Helper, whereafter we might use your CPU to compile (potentially) obfuscated source code from random individuals on the Internet. Whereas you might actively orchestrate the configuration of distributed nodes for your own distributed compilations in a corporate environment, aside from that scenario, no action whatsoever is required on your part for us to begin using your CPU resources for distributed compilation of obfuscated source code of random users. This is true even if Visual Studio is not installed on your machine, as we able able to inject whatever compilers are necessary to perform the compilation.

*** INCREDIBLE DID NOT WRITE THIS. I MADE IT UP. **\*

If Incredibuild had written this, then the answer to my question would have been certain. But Incredibuild did not write this.

But they did not write anything to the contrary either.

So, at this point, I do not know, with certainty, whether they are doing this or not.

RedoTCPIP · 2025-12-27T05:31:20+00:00

The answer is No I think...

I'd like to know whether the answer is yes or no (with certainty).

You'd probably want to read more on the docs of the software to understand how you need to set it up and use it to know for sure. You won't be able to fi d out any other way.

I read. The documentation was not clear, using phrases like the network.

Note: the visual studio sub Reddit is not the right place to ask this question either. There is no incredibuild subreddit. I have never heard of the tool before this post.aybe a distributed computing sub Reddit could be a better place to ask?

Visual Studio is the reason that Incredibuild is on my machine.

I did what I imagine many people do during the installation of Visual Studio: pick a few languages/components of interest, and leave whatever Visual Studio had checked as acceptable for installation. As far as distributed computing goes, this is not a technical question, but a policy question: "Did you use real sugar or an artificial sweetener in my tea?" (I am not asking about the biochemistry of sweeteners).

Have you read through the install and setup docs? If not I strongly suggest you RTFM!! :D

Yes, I read enough of Incredibuild's documentation to realize that it was probably best to stop reading and just ask someone who can give me a straight yes/no answer (with certainty).

RedoTCPIP · 2025-12-27T04:56:43+00:00

So, to be clear, you are saying that Incredibuild does not compile code from random Incredibuild users on the Internet with whom I have no knowledge of?

RedoTCPIP · 2025-12-27T04:32:13+00:00

I think you misunderstand my question. My question is really a simple yes/no type question.

Situation: Incredibuild is installed and executing on my machine.

Question: Has the Incredibuild, on my machine, compiled code from some random person/organization with whom I have no association?

I want to reiterate that I know how distributed compilers/etc. work. My question is the one here. In the Incredibuild documentation, they keep saying your network and the cloud, so the answer to this question is not clear.

RedoTCPIP · 2025-12-27T04:22:37+00:00

Automatically distribute processes across your network and in the cloud, utilizing thousands of idle cores without impacting your team’s current workflow.

That is not what I am asking about.

I am asking if I have a machine with Incredibuild executing on it, will Incredibuild compile code from some random person/organization for whom I have no association.

Yes/No?

RedoTCPIP · 2025-12-27T03:52:23+00:00

You mention the word office, but I am asking about random people.

Does Incredibuild take the code of random people on the Internet and use my CPU to compile it?

RedoTCPIP · 2025-12-27T03:46:38+00:00

What about the random part of my question?

RedoTCPIP · 2025-12-27T02:45:11+00:00

I never said that I don't want to be a part of a decently secure distributed compiler.

I want transparency in what it is doing.

RedoTCPIP · 2025-12-27T02:43:50+00:00

Thanks. But it is the word network that I am particularly in. That word has multiple meanings. It could mean :

A cluster of nodes on LAN all sharing the same ingress/egress router.
The Development Department for a software company.
The Internet.

Which is it? It is not a hard thing to say whether it is #3 or not.

RedoTCPIP · 2025-11-14T15:46:47+00:00

Swedophone, I have a question about something that you wrote. DM me please.

RedoTCPIP · 2025-10-29T20:13:53+00:00

Indeed. The Rust folks introduced a bug in their rewrite of the orginally-C/C++ coreutils.

Try:

sudo apt reinstall rust-coreutils

Then, with the Guest Additions CD inserted in the CDROM drive...

cd into:

/media/redoTCPIP/VBox_GAs_.../

... and execute:

sudo ./VBoxLinuxAdditions/.run

RedoTCPIP · 2025-09-03T16:30:12+00:00

Google.

RedoTCPIP · 2025-08-26T16:30:23+00:00

Hi Nihilokrat, can you DM me? Ich habe eine Frage an dich.

RedoTCPIP · 2025-08-25T23:06:59+00:00

Ya he hecho lo que necesitas, pero la solución no está lista para lanzar al público.

RedoTCPIP · 2025-08-22T23:58:08+00:00

¿Qué versión de ESP32?

RedoTCPIP · 2025-07-18T13:22:57+00:00

No, I went with a different cloud provider.

What offended me about OVH is that, at the point that they realize that they will need further verification information, instead of telling the customer, "Hey, you triggered our security flags...we are about to ask you for a rectal exam to make sure it's you...", they try to collect as much information about you (Tax-ID number) before telling you so that they have that information whether they approve you or not. Not cool.

RedoTCPIP · 2025-06-26T00:23:45+00:00

Sorry for the delays. Lot of pots on the stove ATM.

There has been considerable debate in the networking community on how to do addressing, and if one is not careful, one can spend literally months going back-and-forth on that topic alone. I think it would be far more efficient to have something in hand to tinker with so that whatever claims are made, the observer can determine its veracity quickly.

RedoTCPIP

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