From: David Sternlight <david@sternlight.com>
Date: Sat, 20 Jul 1996 18:58:41 +0800
To: jti@i-manila.com.ph>
Subject: Re: Reverse Engineer
In-Reply-To: <199607191411.KAA06664@piglet.pooh-corner.com>
Message-ID: <v03007611ae159e08d763@[192.187.162.15]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


At 3:05 AM -0700 7/19/96, elfgard@pooh-corner.com wrote:
>> What do you mean by "reverse engineer?" I have heard this word several
>>times especially in the world of hacking, but... can someone tell me what
>>it really meant?
>
>Interesting question.
>Hmmm...
>
>I would answer this question for you but then I would have to kill
>you.
>
>That is basically like asking a car thief to tell yuo about how he
>breaks into cars and what cars hes broken into lately.
>
>My suggestion to you is to pick up one of those MEGA lame books like
>"What is a Cyberpunk!" and read that.  It may not tell you shit, but
>it will give you a broad understanding about what you want to know.

This is such a smug, superior, put-off that I have to give the original
questioner his answer. Reverse engineering means taking a product and from
inspection and analysis, figuring out a way to duplicate it. Engineering is
starting out with specs and coming out with the product. Reverse
engineering is starting out with the product, coming up with specs and then
duplicating the product.

David