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DarkBASIC Professional Discussion / DBP exes contain the DBA source code? (rumour)

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Rob K
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Posted: 19th Mar 2003 00:24
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Zep, a guy from the other forums claims that DBP executables contain the source code from the original DBA file(s) - albeit in encrypted form, and has written a DB program to extract it (although apparently a lot of garbage is present as well)

GuySavoie (developer of the IDE) is a tad worried so I guess that there is certainly an element of truth - so he asked Zep not to release anything or explain it to anyone.

A cursory glance through the executable with WinDASM worried me too (I haven't found anything concrete, just quite a few heavy clues) - the virtual.dat file created in the Temp directory when a DBP app is run might (emphasis on "might") be a clue as it contains a hell of a lot of other debug info. This could well be used so DBP can identify line numbers of errors and so on.

Obviously as DBP is a compiler, the source could not be extracted from the actual main part of the program though.
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Andy Igoe
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Posted: 19th Mar 2003 00:44
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Well certainly i've extracted media from .exe's before - I remember that rather excellent water effect in Equillibrium and even after he explained how he did it to me I just didn't get it - so I had a look...

All I want to know is if DB needs this (for error reporting or whatever) can I have a tool or be provided with the information I need to make a tool to destroy this data in an executeable. If not, i'll be doing just what Zep has done in order to achieve that, and developing my own descrambler as a meens to achieve that end...

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Rob K
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Posted: 19th Mar 2003 00:49
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Put it this way - I am pretty sure that the DBP executables will function just fine if this data is nulled - unless an error occurs

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MrTAToad
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Posted: 19th Mar 2003 01:16
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GuyS didn't sound worried at all - he (and I before him) just wanted proof that the source code is in the executable.

Good news everyone! I really am THAT good...
http://www.nickk.nildram.co.uk/ for great plug-ins - oh my, yes!
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Rob K
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Posted: 19th Mar 2003 01:16
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didn't sound like it - he sounded a bit jumpy.

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Rob K
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Posted: 19th Mar 2003 09:37
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OK - never mind that last comment.

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Shadow Robert
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Posted: 19th Mar 2003 11:53
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There is no shred of the DBA source within the DBpro exe's
just as there really isn't any within DarkBasic exe's

DBpro compiles the source code directly into machine code, so really the closest thing you can disassemble (and yeah when programming disassemble is a contraty in terms) you would simply return something in crude form, like Assembly or something close to.

trust me there is nothing to be worried about

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One block follows the suit ... the whole suit of blocks is the path ... what have you found?
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Hubdule
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Posted: 19th Mar 2003 12:39 Edited at: 19th Mar 2003 12:40
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There is no DBA source code within a DBP exe file as like Raven said it's compiled code. So this is only usefull to someone who knows ASM and also have a lot of experience.

As for DB there is DBA bytecode and yes it is also possible to decompile DB exes. (Here's a screen from a tool I made around 1 1/2 years ago)



Don't ask me about that tool as I won't give it away, it's just to make clear what's possible and what not

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Rob K
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Posted: 19th Mar 2003 13:37
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You idiots - You are completely missing the point - the ENCRYPTED code would be used for debugging purposes - so DBP can report the correct line number of an error, I already stated that the ACTUAL code which executes could not be returned.

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Shadow Robert
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Posted: 19th Mar 2003 14:31
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but it doesn't report the errors within the EXEs like that...
it give yous a VAGUE AS HELL error return, and will tell you what technical line/section of code was unable to be run and why (which is oftenly a DLL section and not part of your own code at all)

it reports the line ON compiling because it is doing the compiling PER line and is actively checking for standard errors, then compiles it.
It'll also search through the ENTIRE program for variables and such that it requires to run.
There is a huge difference between the CLi Built Source and your Compiled Code

Tsu'va Oni Ni Jyuuko Fiori Sei Tau!
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Richard Davey
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Posted: 19th Mar 2003 16:02
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Hubdule is one of the last people I would be calling an idiot Rob, he couldn't be further from it and his post was 100% accurate.

Here you go though - the official line from Lee:

"There is no source code in the exe (not even encrypted
source code). Disassembling the machine code back into DBA is a mighty
task - if someone can do that then we would hire him".

"Gentlemen, we are about to short-circuit the Universe!"
DB Team / Atari ST / DarkForge / Retro Gaming
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Rob K
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Posted: 19th Mar 2003 17:57
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Thanks for that Rich - like I said it was only a rumour, I was actually referring mainly to Raven because he missed the point of the suggestion - that the code was their for debugging purposes. I was not really talking about Hubdule, apologies if any offense was taken

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Shadow Robert
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Posted: 19th Mar 2003 18:08
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god somedays i just wanna hit some people... why the hell is it always me that everyone has a go at - Hubdule sits there and backs up what i said ... AND I'M STILL THE ONE THAT is called the bloody idiot.

deserve a damn'd slap

Tsu'va Oni Ni Jyuuko Fiori Sei Tau!
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Rob K
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Posted: 19th Mar 2003 23:25
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Indeed.

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