The first programs were written in binary/hexadecimal, and only later did we invent coding languages to convert between human readable code and binary machine code.

So why can’t we just do the same thing in reverse? I hear a lot about devices from audio streaming to footware rendered useless by abandonware. Couldn’t a very smart person (or AI) just take the existing program and turn it into code?

  • FuglyDuckEnglish
    8•2 months ago

    1. most software packages are ridiculously complicated. it’s not as simple as just running a decompiler and seeing code. It’s labor intensive, and loaded with bugs and errors, many of which you would never catch unless you already had in idea of what was supposed to be there.

    2. many applications rely on external services/system packages that may or may not exist on your machine.

    3. companies take steps to protect their application from it being reverse engineered, making it that much more difficult to actually pull off.

    4. you don’t have access to the documentation/commenting that would be in the uncompiled code, turning a lot of the script into incomprehensible jibberish.

    5. all the labor involved means it’s very likely to not pass the cost/benefit analysis. unless you’re able to add something to it; something the other guy doesn’t have… then you’re not going to be getting a substantial market share. It won’t be profitable.