Yes thats where I got the pic from. but it seems that mydigitalife is the last to know about these things. While the people who can read chinese and have invite code can be ahead of the game.. Its gone underground now I think. with invite codes,, etc
I don't need it. I am just showing an example that came up recently in that blog. Its just that I want to know how they step through the IDA code and how they can debug it without jtag ?? Its like with andyp's tool, its closed sourced, and no one discusses about the programming part of it. and all we do is 'wait for a release'. If we all learn a bit about programming, maybe someday we can write and release our own programs here too. Too bad there's no programming blog for andyp. I am trying to relate BIOS modding to CDMA/EVDO firmware modding. I hope I can learn something here that can be applied to phone firmware... Also I am complaining why china site is all invite code and the 'english' sites are the "last to know", while everybody in china is 1st hand with these kind of stuff.
the chinese site has just stolen my program and put their name on it. I've done just basic reverse-engineering: unpacking, disassembling (IDA), lots of debugging (VMWare) and making some educated guesses has helped me identify the routine which spits out the password hash. I've chosen python for a reimplementation of the algorithm just as a matter of personal preference - the code is easy to read and fast to write.
So I looked up the word "Shmuck" on your board then I understand what you meant on your blog. sorry I am an ESL.. I was actually searching for cm108 (cmedia spdif) then I came to the google code page then to your blog. but I didn't read the Older page about the python before. Anyway I understand your feeling, because when I release the 700p ESN solution, the people make money off it on ebay etc. So I don't post my findings much anymore. there is no point. people just abuse it for money and greed.
Being an honest skilled man it shouldn't matter to you if somebody steals your work and makes money with it. I know it makes you angry, it would make me, too. But to know that the one who has done it and performed it was yourself has to be enough. I have developed some mod methods (0+2 for Award, the 'new lenovo' way...etc.) If somebody would claim these methods are his own and would make money with it, I would be angry as well. Actually I would abominate such a behaviour. I'm not perfect, I shouldn't care about and should stay cool. My intention is and was never to make money with it. I don't have to. And I know in my heart that it was me who has developed the methods. If you develop a method you have to be aware that there could be someone who could steal it and makes profit. If you can't cope with that possibility you better should not publish it. There are always 2 sides of a coin: If you have developed something that could be useful you want to tell that to others, why? You could keep that secret and use for your own only, but would this be satisfying to you? Why do you feel angry when you notice about that someone uses your work and claims it was done by himself? Because it's not fair? Because somebody earns money with it and you don't? Why don't you? Because somebody else is now the great man and you are not? Because he doesn't deserve it? Because somebody has to try your work (you want that, don't you?), waiting for a 'wow you are great', but instead of you only get ignored? Even worse the one steals it! Aren't such feelings not the same what make the other one being detestable? Actually findings are based on the findings of others, when would you claim it being 'your' way? When would you claim that it was stolen? Is something still 'your' work when you publish it? There are always pathetic people begging for acceptance to strengthen their ego, otherwise they would die due to the lack of self confidence. So they steal, because to steal is a lot of easier than to gain know how. There are many skilled Chinese people. I have learned much from them. Also China is famous of copying and imitating western technology. A real non professional expert (hobby, no profession to earn money) doesn't care about a potential abuse of his work, because his goal is to act altruistic. It's difficult to feel like that, I know. It should be the way itself that makes fun to you, no matter what will happen with your finished work. We are all here to have fun. To earn money to buy my daily food, therefore I have my profession and that's neither being MDL admin nor being a biosmodder. I don't know how many people have already taken benefit of my postings. Therefore I have written them. And if somebody has earned some money with it...enjoy. I know about my work and I'll continue that way as long as I have that much fun with it! Now back to that master PW thing. I don't beg for an inviting code somewhere. If somebody don't want to share something he can keep it! My philosophy is to share all I know. And if I want to realise something or want to resolve something I'll search for like-minded people and I'm sure I'll find them. At MDL there are so many great and skilled people, who are willing to share with respect to each other. This spirit of MDL I want to keep alive all the time. dogber1 is the man and a member here, we don't need any invitation code. Sorry being a bit philosophic, cynical, nitpicking...unrealistic?
It's just so much fun, when you find the key to a hack, to share it with others. I always find, if I share my work, others will join and add to it, saving me time and bring things I could not. There are no "New Ideas" only New ways to look at old Ideas.
fun is a driving force only to a certain degree - I'm also interested in getting some feedback from people who have a similar technical knowledge, and that's been rather disappointing (with one or two exceptions).
The problem is we spend so much of our own time doing volunteer work and does not end up having any income to pay the rent and food. The "forums" has blur the line between free stuff. Also if you discover something, but you don't patent it etc, others who are good at commericalizing, will just copy your ideas exactly and make money off it. and you can't do anything. Thats the problem with software/ideas.. with hardware is harder because you need a manfacturing plant or supplies. for software all you need is time and dedication and effort. edit: From my 700p experience over the 3 years... I think most people are leechers that look for free information. society in the 10 years since the internet has changed towards that way. When I ask for donations no one answered, also no one really contribute to my work. Instead they just keep in PMing me for help, this help that like I own them something and it was granted that I have to help them. I don't want to say anything anymore, rather just keep quiet and work on my own and use the stuff I discover on my own, then release the info when it becomes obselete.
In most European countries it's not even possible to get a patent for a piece of code. Only way is to protect your final product....also never forget a forum like MDL is a public forum...there are other ways to communicate / develop a piece of software.... With biosmodding and / or bios related stuff it's problematic to earn money though..... And let me add what I mean with having fun: To meet people, having the same interest, not necessarily the same experiences / skills, but the same ambition, enthusiasm.... to want the SAME matter resolved, having the same VISION. Everyone can participate from a different point of view (from the programming aspect, from the specification aspect, from the aspect of an different approach...) The team then grows.. and suddenly you have peformed something together you never have dreamed about before.... It was when I did my own first mod! (Of course with the help / ideas of others, being in a team.....Zhaoliang / China4Ever / XBioses............) That feeling is invaluable......... Also to develop WoW7 and the Phoenix tool..although I didn't program anything of it. All programming is flagmax (WoW) / andyp's work. I had a lot of fun to bring in my ideas / experiences Neither Andy nor flagmax nor I want to make money...
the problem is not so much that there are too few willing to contribute but there are just very few people who are truly capable of comprehending the underlying principles of BIOS code, e.g. 16bit x86 assembly and all the messy stuff which happens during early boot-up. also, you can't claim a patent on reverse-engineered stuff...
The rank and file don't care about a BIOS. They don't even know how to enter it. If you want to make money, forget about BIOS. Forget about to alter EXISTING code. To break restrictions of a bios is and will ever be a matter for enthusiasts. I don't see a problem in reverse-engineering, as long as you only use the informations to develop your approach / tool. The problem will be only when you are using stolen routines...
Yen, You are an addition to humanity. I hope your way of thinking could be installed on minds of other people and peoples. Certainly, that will make life much better. May be this is too late, but, I found this link (dogber1.blogspot.com/2009/05/table-of-reverse-engineered-bios.html) and my problem was solved. The laptop was a Dell latitiude C640. In a matter of seconds, I had a password generated by a keygen. I used the password, it worked, then I disabled the password from the bios setup.