Skype protocol reverse engineered, source available

Re:Skype protocol reverse engineered, source available by tptacek on Thursday June 02, 2011 @12:36PM (#2612678)

What? This isn't true at all. Anyone can buy IDA.

This copy of IDA was probably pirated for the same reason Photoshop is usually pirated: because it's expensive. But you don't know it was pirated.

Also: by editing your comments to account for the responses, you make the thread incoherent. I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't do that, or, at least, if you must do it, to do so in corrections at the end of your comment. It's fine to be wrong. I'm wrong all the time.

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[deleted]

Re:Skype protocol reverse engineered, source available by Xuzz on Thursday June 02, 2011 @02:07PM (#2613163)

That is simply incorrect. I do not "know" Ilfak. I just emailed him, discussed the cost of a student license, provided proof of being a student, and filed an order form for IDA Pro Standard 6.0. The only thing that at all fits with your story is that a bank transfer was required, instead of paying by credit card, but I believe that is only for students.

Even so, Hex-Rays does sell to individuals. It's not even necessary to ask Ilfak: if copies are being sold to individuals, then they sell to individuals. And those copies are being sold. Here's a picture of my CD, purchased this year, as an individual: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3177211/idaomg.png

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Re:Skype protocol reverse engineered, source available by Xuzz on Thursday June 02, 2011 @12:52PM (#2612758)

That is incorrect. I purchased IDA Pro as an individual this year, and I am a simply a student interested in reverse engineering. (I believe what you are saying may be true for the "advanced" version, but from what I can tell anyone can purchase IDA Pro Standard.)

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Re:Skype protocol reverse engineered, source available by comex on Thursday June 02, 2011 @07:51PM (#2614540)

Assuming that the deleted parent is about the difficulty of purchasing IDA, as you know, it's only somewhat incorrect. I have wanted to buy IDA for almost a year now, but Hex-Rays is very picky about how they receive their money; I could probably arrange for it somehow but it is an completely inordinate amount of hassle. (And no, bank transfers are not only required with a student discount; I was willing to pay twice as much to avoid the requirement but it wasn't possible.)

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Re:Skype protocol reverse engineered, source available by sometwo on Friday June 03, 2011 @09:37AM (#2616267)

I think bank transfer is a requirement only for first-time private users, probably because credit cards are too easy to steal/fake and chargeback.

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Re:Skype protocol reverse engineered, source available by tptacek on Thursday June 02, 2011 @12:55PM (#2612778)

It's not true of "Advanced" either (all "Advanced" does is give you x86-64 and a bunch of exotic architectures; "Advanced" is a price segregation scheme, not a community safeguard).

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Re:Skype protocol reverse engineered, source available by comex on Thursday June 02, 2011 @09:11PM (#2614768)

No, it is true for Advanced; they will only sell it to entities they've dealt with before.

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Re:Skype protocol reverse engineered, source available by tptacek on Friday June 03, 2011 @12:11AM (#2615120)

I mean you would know, I know, and we've been customers for awhile so maybe they just don't bat an eye, but I just assumed everyone bought Advanced now. How do you not have x64?

You really think this is because they want to safeguard the public or something?

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