🚀 go-pugleaf

Cem Redif <c.redif@btinternet.com> wrote:

>Hi All,
>
>In languages like C++, you could make your code secret, since it's
>compiled to a machine code of a specific operating system.  However,
>with Java, if you compile your program to bytecodes, there are good
>decompilers out there, that can reproduce your code in neat format
>(without the comments of course).  Hence, my question is: what can you
>do to make you code secret, so that if your competitors get hold of it
>they can't have a peek !?  For example, if a company called
>AccountSoftware developed a package called AccountWizard in Java.  What
>stops a competitor company from purchasing AccountWizard and view the
>code via a decompiler?
>
>Any info. would be greatly appreciated.

An obfuscator (such as JBuilder's) makes reverse-engineering more
difficult. However, it can still be done given enough time and effort.
The same is true of native-compiled code as produced by C++ et al. -
although analysing decompiled C++ is like pushing a dead whale along a
beach (unpleasant and slow), it can be done. Presumably it would also
be possible for a Java compiler to employ similar "armoured code"
(techniques to make reverse-engineering more difficult) to that which
can be produced in assembler.

Will Dickson.