Universal Disassemblers vs. Universal MIILs

[Usenet file owner]

In article <e8amX#27Cbjc=eric at snark.UUCP>, Eric S. Raymond
(eric at snark.uucp) writes:
> [...]
>Long ago, in my pre-UNIX days, I once started writing a smart disassembler for
>8086 code, one that would recognize illegal instructions, do flow-of-control
>analysis on jumps and assign symbolic labels (then allow you to change the
>names to meaningful ones). It would recognize and interpret OS service calls,
>so you'd be able to spot I/O subroutines at a glance. It would keep its
>deductions and your comments on them in a database so you could analyze code
>interactively in stages. The Cracker, I called it. 
>
> [... stuff about implications deleted ...]
>
>Does anyone know of something like this having been actually implemented?
>

  There's a program called "Sourceror" on the Apple ][ series, by Glen
Bredon I think.  It came with the Big Mac/Merlin assemblers.  It knew
about all Apple's ROM calls (and many DOS calls), most global
variables, the 6502 instruction set, and the "Sweet-16" pseudo-code
instruction set.
  It didn't add comments to the code, but it did take care of things
like assigning symbolic names to labels, etc. which helped a lot if
you wanted to understand programs (I used it on Applesoft BASIC, for
example).  It's a good start, anyway....

			Anton Rang
			rang at cpswh.cps.msu.edu

+---------------------------+------------------------+----------------------+
| Anton Rang (grad student) | "UNIX: Just Say No!"   | "Do worry...be SAD!" |
| Michigan State University | rang at cpswh.cps.msu.edu |   -- Jill Belscamper |
+---------------------------+------------------------+----------------------+