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Microsoft sends GitHub DMCA shutdown for Skype open source project

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21–30 of 93 posts

Re: Microsoft sends GitHub DMCA shutdown for Skype open source project

#22

So I guess they should rename it Skipe open source.

"Skype: patched and recompiled to do other stuff" is a better title. Decompiling a proprietary product, changing a few lines of code, and then releasing that code doesn't make it "open source", it makes it stolen code (semantics of "piracy is not theft" aside, it's still not his code to be releasing in it's entirety.).

Re: Microsoft sends GitHub DMCA shutdown for Skype open source project

#25

MS can't catch a break... They defend their copyrights and get slammed on Hacker News for not being "cool" with the OSS community infringing on their properties. Weak sauce, Hacker News.

PG has declared all copyright null and void.

Re: Microsoft sends GitHub DMCA shutdown for Skype open source project

#26
post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How exactly is one supposed to make a clean-room reverse engineering in the absence of any documentation and sophisticated obfuscation on Skype's part ?

Usually, that would mean reverse engineering to create specifications and then getting the product implemented by some one else using the specification which would then be termed as clean.

Yes, and reverse engineering to create specifications is done... how ? It requires examination of the only currently working implementation that we have.

Re: Microsoft sends GitHub DMCA shutdown for Skype open source project

#27
post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Usually, that would mean reverse engineering to create specifications and then getting the product implemented by some one else using the specification which would then be termed as clean.

Yes, and reverse engineering to create specifications is done... how ? It requires examination of the only currently working implementation that we have.

The term "clean room" has a well established meaning you probably aren't aware of, I refer you to [1], it might clear up what the original reply was referring to.

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clean_room_design

Re: Microsoft sends GitHub DMCA shutdown for Skype open source project

#28

MS can't catch a break... They defend their copyrights and get slammed on Hacker News for not being "cool" with the OSS community infringing on their properties. Weak sauce, Hacker News.

Where do you see people slamming Microsoft in this thread?

Re: Microsoft sends GitHub DMCA shutdown for Skype open source project

#29
post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Usually, that would mean reverse engineering to create specifications and then getting the product implemented by some one else using the specification which would then be termed as clean.

Yes, and reverse engineering to create specifications is done... how ? It requires examination of the only currently working implementation that we have.

From my understanding, you are allowed to decompile and inspect the released binaries, as well as intercept and analyze all inbound/outbound data, as long as you aren't modifying the running binary in any fashion. Things like debuggers are commonly used for this goal, as are tools like wireshark for analyzing the traffic. Once you create a specification based on your analysis, someone can create a clean-room implementation from that spec.

Re: Microsoft sends GitHub DMCA shutdown for Skype open source project

#30
post #14
post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How exactly is one supposed to make a clean-room reverse engineering in the absence of any documentation and sophisticated obfuscation on Skype's part ?

It's hard, but people have made progress with that approach: http://recon.cx/en/f/vskype-part1.pdf http://recon.cx/en/f/vskype-part2.pdf

Those links detail reverse engineering the binary. I think Iv's point is that reverse engineering an existing binary is not what "clean room" means.
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