Glossary entry (derived from question below)
English term or phrase:
reverse engineer
English answer:
taking something apart in order to work out how it works and make your own
Added to glossary by
XiaoRan
May 16, 2005 15:49
19 yrs ago
5 viewers *
English term
reverse engineer
English
Tech/Engineering
Computers: Software
You may not reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble the SOFTWARE PRODUCT, except and only to the extent that such activity is expressly permitted by applicable law notwithstanding this limitation.
What's reverse engineer?
What's reverse engineer?
Responses
+11
1 min
Selected
taking something apart in order to work out how it works and make your own
-
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 mins (2005-05-16 15:51:23 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
please see here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverse_engineering
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 4 mins (2005-05-16 15:53:48 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
please see here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverse_engineering
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 6 mins (2005-05-16 15:55:25 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
sorry for the double addenum, in the wiki article there is a whole section on software reverse engineering
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 mins (2005-05-16 15:51:23 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
please see here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverse_engineering
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 4 mins (2005-05-16 15:53:48 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
please see here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverse_engineering
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 6 mins (2005-05-16 15:55:25 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
sorry for the double addenum, in the wiki article there is a whole section on software reverse engineering
Peer comment(s):
agree |
RHELLER
: exactly :-)
1 min
|
agree |
Charlie Bavington
: yep - here an example might be to look at a screen or process in the s/w and then write your own version that does exactly the same thing.
1 min
|
exactly the same thing or one that has improved functionality...it reminds me of a reasonably good film I watched some time ago...Paycheck I think it's called :)
|
|
agree |
bigedsenior
2 mins
|
agree |
Can Altinbay
: Good way to put it.
4 mins
|
agree |
airmailrpl
: taking something apart in order to find out how it works and then make your own
21 mins
|
agree |
Angela Dickson (X)
21 mins
|
agree |
Robert Donahue (X)
27 mins
|
agree |
Martine Brault
30 mins
|
agree |
Ernesto de Lara
57 mins
|
agree |
pike
1 hr
|
agree |
Alfa Trans (X)
2 days 23 hrs
|
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thank you!"
+3
2 mins
meaning
Reverse-Engineering with a Class Diagram
To reverse-engineer means to create a model from source. Reverse engineering can help you understand and navigate a large project. Java Studio Enterprise 7 analyzes all Java code in a project and generates a model from it. The reverse engineering feature enables Java source code to be reverse-engineered into a project that contains 100 percent of the code's structural information. This includes a hierarchical representation of classes, attributes, operations, and relationships.
To reverse-engineer means to create a model from source. Reverse engineering can help you understand and navigate a large project. Java Studio Enterprise 7 analyzes all Java code in a project and generates a model from it. The reverse engineering feature enables Java source code to be reverse-engineered into a project that contains 100 percent of the code's structural information. This includes a hierarchical representation of classes, attributes, operations, and relationships.
Reference:
http://developers.sun.com/prodtech/javatools/jsenterprise/reference/techart/jse7/umlmodeling.html
+2
5 mins
figure out how it works...
Sorry about the lousy target term. Reverse engineering means to get the specifications or generally what the software does by means such as decompiling or disassembly. Through the process of reverse engineering, you can create software that does the same thing quicker, because things like requirements and design have already been done, and you don't have to do those yourself.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 7 mins (2005-05-16 15:56:17 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Charlie is right. It could be as simple as going through all of the menus, etc. and figuring out what it does. (That may take a long time.)
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 7 mins (2005-05-16 15:56:17 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Charlie is right. It could be as simple as going through all of the menus, etc. and figuring out what it does. (That may take a long time.)
+2
7 mins
see explanation
To reverse engineer is to start at the outcome or output of a process and work back to work out what was the input or to work out what operations were performed in the process.
In terms of software reverse engineering usually means the unraveling of file formats and the like. If competitors of Microsoft want to make a word processor that can handle and create Word files, they will have to reverse engineer the way Microsoft Word creates Word files: they have to derive the process by relating what comes out (the code of a Word file) to what went in (the original text).
In terms of software reverse engineering usually means the unraveling of file formats and the like. If competitors of Microsoft want to make a word processor that can handle and create Word files, they will have to reverse engineer the way Microsoft Word creates Word files: they have to derive the process by relating what comes out (the code of a Word file) to what went in (the original text).
Peer comment(s):
agree |
silvia b (X)
4 mins
|
agree |
Angela Dickson (X)
16 mins
|
11 hrs
Work on the existing code/software programme to understand the design.
In software terms, 'Reverse Engineering' is a fountain approach towards the exisiting problem.i.e. start working on the existing code/software programme to understand the design.
Discussion