Decompiler Project and Mailing List

Joe Buck jbuck@synopsys.COM
Wed Nov 17 11:09:00 GMT 1999


>    Please note I'm crossposting this announcement to the developers' lists
> I think contain the people most likely to be interested in this project.
> 
>    My little decompiler project (a sub-project of the Free Expression
> Project) now has a mailing list, decompiler@free-expression.org.
> Subscribe by mailing to majordomo@free-expression.org a message containing
> the line:
> subscribe decompiler

While a decompiler is certainly a useful tool, producing copylefted
streaming tools by reverse-engineering proprietary codecs, as the
free-expression.org website advocates, is the wrong approach.  The problem
is patents; you can't use a patented technique without licensing the
patent, or you put yourself at considerable financial risk.

Furthermore, you can hardly later claim accidental infringement when the
big boys come with their lawyers when you've made clear that you've
obtained your tools by reverse engineering.

The only way to produce free streaming media is to use algorithms not
covered by patents.  This is a difficult job, but far from impossible.
Alternatively, all development could be done in countries that don't
legally honor software patents, but the result would be tools that
people in the US and a number of other countries cannot legally use.

Now that the free software movement has companies in its camp with
billions of dollars of market capitalization, it should hopefully be
possible to get enough funding and support to do this right.  Get some
EE grad student volunteers to help with algorithms, get some legal
assistance (paid or unpaid) to do patent searches.




More information about the Binutils mailing list