Reverse Enginering

[I_Smell_Tuna]

Windows is programmed in C\C++ correct? Well there are open source C\C++ compilers also. So has anybody ever reverse enginered Windows?

[iago]

Doing a complete reverse engineer would take too long, and would be infeasible. 

Yes, Windows is programmed in C (or C++, not sure). 

I don't understand what any of that has to do with open source C/C++ compilers.

[Lenny]

Maybe if you compiled(gathered) all the dissassembled pieces of windows floating all over the net you could have a complete reverse engineering of windows.

But why would anyone want that?

[tA-Kane]

I highly doubt you'd get a working (let alone stable) version of Windows with all Microsoft code snippets floating around.

As for why would someone want that... Well, isn't it obvious? It's an excellent way of finding (and thusly writing abuses for) problems within Windows which will result in mayhem to the end users, such as incorrect functionalities, system crashes, or even remote access to private data.

[Soul Taker]

Considering Windows 2000 is about 35 million lines of code, I seriously doubt anyone would ever reverse it all.

[MyndFyre]

Considering Windows 2000 is about 35 million lines of code, I seriously doubt anyone would ever reverse it all.

But is it even all necessary?  Within that estimation, they include Windows Media Player, Internet Explorer, Paint, Clipboard, Notepad, Calculator, Character Map, Backup, all the command-line tools, etc.

The most important things to get would be the kernel, the HAL, and the windowing system.  I bet it wouldn't be THAT much. 

[I_Smell_Tuna]

Thanks for the response.

[Lenny]

I highly doubt you'd get a working (let alone stable) version of Windows with all Microsoft code snippets floating around.

As for why would someone want that... Well, isn't it obvious? It's an excellent way of finding (and thusly writing abuses for) problems within Windows which will result in mayhem to the end users, such as incorrect functionalities, system crashes, or even remote access to private data.

Pessimist
It's also an excellent way to tell microsoft how to fix their vulnerabilities.  But why would anyone want to do that?

Well I'm done with my rhetorical questions....

[Blaze]

I highly doubt you'd get a working (let alone stable) version of Windows with all Microsoft code snippets floating around.

I doubt you could get a stable version WITH all the source code.  Windows likes to crash when I am doing something important, like essays or research.

[tA-Kane]

kthx for practically repeating exactly what I said.

[Maddox]

Only Windows 4.0 and up are coded in C/C++ IIRC. The rest are in assembly.

[tA-Kane]

Eww. Just... eww.

[CrAz3D]

Considering Windows 2000 is about 35 million lines of code, I seriously doubt anyone would ever reverse it all.

But is it even all necessary?  Within that estimation, they include Windows Media Player, Internet Explorer, Paint, Clipboard, Notepad, Calculator, Character Map, Backup, all the command-line tools, etc.

The most important things to get would be the kernel, the HAL, and the windowing system.  I bet it wouldn't be THAT much. 

What is HAL?

[dxoigmn]

Considering Windows 2000 is about 35 million lines of code, I seriously doubt anyone would ever reverse it all.

But is it even all necessary?  Within that estimation, they include Windows Media Player, Internet Explorer, Paint, Clipboard, Notepad, Calculator, Character Map, Backup, all the command-line tools, etc.

The most important things to get would be the kernel, the HAL, and the windowing system.  I bet it wouldn't be THAT much. 

What is HAL?

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=HAL+Windows&btnG=Google+Search

[Kp]

What is HAL?

I'm sorry.  I can't tell you that, Dave.