Re: An unknown language with a known implementation ?

marten.cassel@gmail.com wrote:


> Given the specification and source code of a programming language
> implementation that is, interpreter (for a virtual machine), runtime
> libraries and extensions, plus compiled programs. I'd like to learn
> about the language that this implementation was made for.


With .NET you have little chance to find out a specific programming
language, because all (supported) languages compile to the same IL
code, and use the same libraries. Even programs for the Java VM can be
written in various languages, not only in Java.


> Is this possible? Mayby someone could clarify or express the problem
> for me more clearly.. and possible solutions.


Can you give concrete examples for the languages, which you expect to
find? Common languages, or very new ones?




> [You could certainly read the code and reverse engineer the language, but
> it would be a lot of work. -John]


IMO it's possible to find out characteristics of the runtime
environment, by reverse engineering the VM - does it have garbage
collection, structured exception handling, an object model, etc.


With a look at the symbols in the libraries, one can try to match the
names with the names in the standard libraries of well known programming
languages. This would be the easiest approach, a hex editor and a Web
search engine are the only required tools :-)


DoDi

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