For what type of application is the approach of reverse engineering applied? Explain your ans.?

Answer 1

Reverse engineering (RE) is the process of discovering the technological principles of a device/object or system through analysis of its structure, function and operation. It often involves taking something (e.g., a mechanical device, an electronic component, a software program) apart and analyzing its workings in detail, usually with the intention to construct a new device or program that does the same thing without actually copying anything from the original. The verb form is to reverse-engineer.

Reverse engineering is often used by military in order to copy other nations' technology, devices or information, or parts of which, have been obtained by regular troops in the fields or by intelligence operations. It was often used during the Second World War and the Cold War. Well-known examples from WWII include:

Jerry can: British and American forces noticed that the Germans had gasoline cans with an excellent design. They reverse engineered copies of those cans. The cans were popularly known as Jerry cans.
Tupolev Tu-4: A number of American B-29 bombers on missions over Japan were forced to land in the USSR. The Soviets, who did not have a similar strategic bomber, decided to copy the B-29. Within a few years they had developed the Tu-4, a near perfect copy.
V2 Rocket Technical documents for the V2 and related technologies were captured by the Western Allies at the end of the war. Soviet and captured German engineers had to reproduce technical documents and plans, working from captured hardware, in order to make their clone of the rocket, the R-1, which began the postwar Soviet rocket program that led to the R-7 and the beginning of the space race.
Reverse engineering software or hardware systems which is done for the purposes of interoperability (for example, to support undocumented file formats or undocumented hardware peripherals), is mostly believed to be legal, though patent owners often contest this and attempt to stifle any reverse engineering of their products for any reason.

For more information,please click on the following link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverse_engineering

Answer 2

speaking in software terms reverse engineering can be applied to any object code to retrieve the original source code of the program..in the case of JAVa to maintain platform independency byte codes are used.. ie.class files..u can reverse engineer a .class file to obtain a.java file
its very useful e\when you want to understand how a component has been assembled..using more clinical terms its called the bottom up approach..where u start from the product and end up with the scratch

Answer 3

It can be any thing.

Most of the stuff we use may have been initially reversed engineered.

People experiment with things all the time(tinkering) when it works to their satisfaction then the draw it up refine some make some other changes and then mass produce them for general release to the public.

Even to day large companies try to find solutions by this method.

This is why you will find only one or two page data on lots of things, such as old aircraft, automobile.......

Answer 4

Reverse engineering is a sophisticated term to pick on another person's proven idea, modify it and serve the old wine in a new bottle.

Answer 5

It can be applied to any application, whether it be hardware or software, computer or not. That's a very generic term.

Answer 6

Mostly for the maintainance type of projects