reverse engineering

Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Acronyms, Wikipedia

0.01 sec.

reverse engineering [ri′vərs ‚en·jə′nir·iŋ]

(engineering)

The analysis of a completed system in order to isolate and identify its individual components or building blocks.

(system, product, design)

reverse engineering - The process of analysing an existing system to identify its components and their interrelationships and create representations of the system in another form or at a higher level of abstraction. Reverse engineering is usually undertaken in order to redesign the system for better maintainability or to produce a copy of a system without access to the design from which it was originally produced.

For example, one might take the executable code of a computer program, run it to study how it behaved with different input and then attempt to write a program oneself which behaved identically (or better). An integrated circuit might also be reverse engineered by an unscrupulous company wishing to make unlicensed copies of a popular chip.

Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content.

?Page tools

Printer friendly
Cite / link

Feedback

Mentioned in	?		References in periodicals archive	?		Encyclopedia browser	?		Full browser	?
No references found			UniKey Protects Software from Reverse Engineering Software reverse engineering is the technique of getting the original source code from the binary. UniKey Tips - Technical Information & Product Solutions by sarah_shi / Computers and Internet community Other topics include screening patients with congestive heart failure, analogy-making in situation theory, learning Bayesian networks for reverse engineering and completing regulatory gene networks based on expression data, and the intelligent fault diagnosis of robotic systems with neural networks. Artificial intelligence; new research by SciTech Book News It's legal to engage in reverse engineering in order to create a competing product, it's legal to talk about reverse engineering, and it's legal for a public wiki to host those discussions. Apple sued for stifling iPod tricks by AFP / AFP Global Edition			reversal of dip reversal process reversal spectrum reversal speed reversal temperature reverse Reverse Address Resolution Protocol Reverse ARP reverse bevel reverse bias reverse bonded-phase chromatography reverse Brayton cycle reverse Carnot cycle reverse cell reverse circulation drilling reverse code dictionary Reverse Condensation reverse current reverse curve reverse deionization Reverse Dictionary reverse direction reverse DNS reverse drawing reverse engineer reverse engineering reverse fault reverse feedback reverse flange reverse genetics reverse graft reverse key reverse lay reverse mutation reverse osmosis reverse passive anaphylaxis reverse pinocytosis reverse pitch reverse polarity reverse Polish notation reverse polish syntax reverse power reverse print reverse process reverse proxy reverse saddle reverse similar fold reverse slip fault reverse slope reverse transcript reverse transcriptase			Reverse Digital Traffic Channel reverse direction reverse direction Reverse Direction Grant Reverse Direction Protection Switch Reverse Directory Service reverse discrimination reverse discrimination Reverse Dispersion Fiber reverse dive Reverse DNS Reverse DNS lookup Reverse Dollar Cost Averaging Reverse Domain Filling Reverse Domain Name Denigration Reverse domain name hijacking Reverse Domain Name Service Reverse Domain Name System Reverse Dragon Punch Reverse Dragon Punch Motion reverse drawing Reverse Dual Currency reverse Eck fistula Reverse End Diastolic Velocity Reverse engineer Reverse engineered reverse engineering Reverse Engineering and Reuse Re-Engineering Reverse Enhanced Access Channel Reverse entries reverse exchange reverse fault reverse fault Reverse Fault Tree Analysis reverse feedback Reverse fire reverse fissure reverse fissure reverse fissure reverse fissure Reverse Five Sign reverse flange Reverse Floater Reverse Floaters Reverse Floating Rate Note Reverse Floating Rate Notes Reverse Flow Cross-Flow Reverse Flow Ion Exchange Reverse Flow Mixer Settler Reverse Flow Pivot Reverse Flow Regeneration Reverse Flow Semi Down-Draft Paint Booth Reverse Flow Zone Reverse Frame Prediction Reverse Fundamental Channel

Encyclopedia

Free Tools:	For surfers: Free toolbar & extensions \| Word of the Day \| Help For webmasters: Free content \| Linking \| Lookup box \| Double-click lookup

Disclaimer
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional.