How do I view/edit the source code to programs?

[The Most Awesome Jared]

I know this'll break copyright laws, but that only applies to if I distribute it to other people. So what programs for windows should I use to do this? I tried notepad++, but I just got a billion incoherent characters.

[FreezeWarp]

I know this'll break copyright laws, but that only applies to if I distribute it to other people. So what programs for windows should I use to do this? I tried notepad++, but I just got a billion incoherent characters.

Ah... Yes. Well, it is actually completely impossible. The reason for this is fairly basic; when you try to edit a program it is binary, not text. This is because when most major programs are used, they are first compiled from the source which makes it run a lot faster, however this also makes it so you will never be able to view the source code.

So, ultimately it comes down to whether a program is open source or not. For instance, Linux and its millions of distributions are open-source, so you can actually find the source, likely on their site or at a mirror. However, applications like Photoshop will always have the source only available to their paid developers. In this same fashion, a lot of applications actually have to be compiled before being run, so you can only find the source.

[The Most Awesome Jared]

There has to be a program that can successfully de-compile binary back to source though, right? I've heard about at least one.

[FreezeWarp]

There has to be a program that can successfully de-compile binary back to source though, right? I've heard about at least one.

I'd like to see it, because from what I know, it simply isn't possible. Not with a simple program, anyway. It would require a great deal of man-hours to actually decompile a program, and even then you wouldn't have the exact source.

[The Most Awesome Jared]

Could I at least find a programmer who is an ecpert at this stuff and can make a patch that allows me to insert extra programming into it?

[FreezeWarp]

Could I at least find a programmer who is an ecpert at this stuff and can make a patch that allows me to insert extra programming into it?

That would theoretically be possible. What program are you trying to edit.

To put things in perspective, when you try to edit a program, it is binary, not text, so trying to edit it with a text editor would be like trying to edit a png image in a text editor, or a video.

[The Most Awesome Jared]

I just want to force my FPS games to say HEADSHOT or insert my own ub3r cheat codes for other games.




Maybe if I actually learned something about coding I could do this myself, but I don't know where to look for this kind of stuff.

[FreezeWarp]

I just want to force my FPS games to say HEADSHOT or insert my own ub3r cheat codes for other games.




Maybe if I actually learned something about coding I could do this myself, but I don't know where to look for this kind of stuff.

FPS Games? All I know that FPS stands for is Frames Per Second. Is it a series of games, or...?

[The Most Awesome Jared]

First Person Shooter



Like Halo or Bioshock





EDIT: Here's an easier question: Where is the kernel in Linux and how can I view it's source code?


Everyone I asked so far, no matter how much they know about Linux, has simply ignored me every time I ask this.

[FreezeWarp]

First Person Shooter

Like Halo or Bioshock


Ah... Of Course.

EDIT: Here's an easier question: Where is the kernel in Linux and how can I view it's source code?


Everyone I asked so far, no matter how much they know about Linux, has simply ignored me every time I ask this.

Hm... Interesting question. Well, the Kernel essentially is the core of Linux. It is the foundation for every distribution.

As for the source code: ftp://ftp.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v2.6/

[The Most Awesome Jared]

When I want to put an entry in GRUB, it asks me where the kernel(file) is for the OS I'm trying to add. That's what I want to look for.

[FreezeWarp]

When I want to put an entry in GRUB, it asks me where the kernel(file) is for the OS I'm trying to add. That's what I want to look for.

That varies OS to OS, so which one are you trying to add? Also, what partition is it on (i.e. /sda/sda1)? Also, what tool are you using to edit grub? It can sometimes be easier to edit the actual file, though obviously that is also incredibly dangerous for unexperienced users.

[The Most Awesome Jared]

The OS is going to be Windows 7(Upgrading from Vista) on the first partition of the first hd, and I will most likely be using KGRUBEditor or QGRUBEditor(Same thing, but K is for KDE and Q is for Gnome)



There is also Fedora and Knoppix.