Is it possible to modify popular computer programs?

Question

For example adobe photoshop or microsoft word?
Are these things written in accessible languages, and is it possible to access the code, modify it or even adapt it for one's own programmes?

I don't have much programming knowledge myself, but I'm just interested in the possibility.

Don't want to sound too pompous, but having been using photoshop for a good while, I feel there are lots of ways it could be improved -mainly for my own personal use. I'm not talking about selling them on but simply adapting them so they are more useful to me.

Can I just clarify a point; Am I actually forbidden by law to alter a program, even if I have no intention of selling it on?

Answer 1

It's not possible because of a few things. One point is the program is a compiled format of many files far too complicated for you to take apart and modify. Second you don't know what programming language it was developed in and even if you found out you would have a near impossible time decompiling the files. With programs like Photoshop you can develop your own macros and such and create your own ehancements but it is limited. You can get the source code for programs like The Gimp which is an open source program developed as a replacement for Photoshop. Many popular programs have open source alternatives that you can get the original source to and make your own little adjustments or completely change some programming.

All in all you can't edit a large program without its source and you can't edit any program without knowledge of the language it uses. Many complicated programs that are massive use many files all with their own descriptors and modules. So for some programs like Photoshop, if you change one file odds are you have to change a few more to make it still functional.

Answer 2

In the case of store-bought software like Photoshop and Word, the code is the property of the company who developed it, and while you can modify it in certain ways, you are both technically prevented and legally forbidden from messing about with the basic code. However, many hackers believe that copyrighting and selling software is an abuse of freedom of information (which is why they regard Microsoft as Satan). Hence, 'open-source' software, which is often distributed free over the internet and which users are free to modify or improve as they see fit. Linux is an entire operating system that's open-source. It also happens to be faster, more powerful and far more stable than Windows. It's also way cheaper. In case you were wondering, I don't work for the company that sells it; no one company owns it, that's the point.

Answer 3

Microsoft Word is easily modifiable by learning VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) which is a programming language based on Visual Basic and is available to all the MS Office apps.

You can use VBA to create custom functions in Excel, auto-fill documents and templates with data from databases, control program flow when using forms in Access. It is very powerful and can greatly enhance productivity, it is also one of the most popular methods of creating viral code embedded and transmitted within office documents.

Answer 4

It depends on the application and what you're trying to do. Obviously you're not going to have access to the source code from which the applications were built, but you may be able to use built-in scripting abilities to build in new functionality. For example, Word includes VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) with which you can write macros to do many different things.

If you want to embed functionality of these applications in your own, again this depends on the application. I'm not sure if Photoshop exposes anything, but Word exposes a very rich and detailed COM interface for interacting with the application (and COM is accessible by .NET code, so you can use it from C# apps). For example, you can use Word's COM interface to integrate its spell checker into your own application.

Answer 5

Not without a great deal of programming knowledge. The code is actually in machine-readable code. You would first have to disassemble it using special software to create an assembly language version. You would then have to translate the assembly language version into a programming language like C, make the modifications, reassemble it, and then recompile it. In practical terms, it's pretty much impossible.

Answer 6

The End User Licence Agreement (EULA) of all (at least if the company has any sense) software programs prohibits alteration of any part of the original program. However if the sofware is open source then as long as you know the language it was compiled in then go for your life mate.

Answer 7

You won't have access to the source code, which is the easiest way to modify something. If you want to look at code to see how it works, find a couple of open source programs and see how their code works. Being open source, they will give you the code so you can modify it as you see fit.

Answer 8

well its not really accessable languages unless you study it lol but i would delve into hex editors also a very good proggy to use i use it myself to change the loadup images of programs (splash logos) and also there menu boxes is called resource hacker "reshacker.exe"
do a google search for it i'm sure you can find it ;-)

Victor C.

Answer 9

I'm sure it could but what would be your reason? It functions as it should now! I doubt that someone who doesnt even know how to look at its code is gonna do anything but screw it up in the first place!

Answer 10

No you can't, once the application is published (.exe) you can't modify the application, that's just how Windows works.