I am developing a product, part of which is a disassembler for micro-controllers, now I am in the process of gathering requirements. We have few people in connection, that can help me, but we want more requirements =). Could you please help me and answer some (few or all ^___^ ) questions:



1) Do you work with microcontrollers professionally, or is it your hobby?
2) Which microcontroller architecture do you work with most often?
3) Which operating system is installed on your workstation?
4) Which disassemblers do you use?
5) What would you like to add or improve in disassemblers, and what’s the most annoying in them?
6) How often do you disassemble some code?
7) What are the use cases for disassemblers in your work?



Post answers here or send PM to me. Thanks for you help.

 

I don't have any requirement for a disassembler because I write all my own code.
I don't feel the need to use any one else's work.

 

1. Pro
2. Microchip 8, 16 or 32 bit
3. Win
4. None
5. Nothing, never use them,no need when I have my source code.
6. Never use them, no need when I have my source code.
7. Never use them, no need when I have my source code.

I believe this should define your targeted market.

 

1. Pro.
2. PIC,8051
3. Windows XP
4. None
5. Dont use them
6. Dont use them
7. Dont use them

 

1. Pro / hooby
2. arm / avr
3. win 7
4. none
5. why would I want to disassemble anything? the source I compile provides me with well structured version of what I wrote in C compiled to asm with comments, so there really is no need to disassemble anything. I can't be bothered to track bugs inside pre-compiled vendor specific libraries, that is their job.

P.S. the last time I used a disassembler was when I was a little 12 y.o. kid trying to get crack at pc software, which resulted in nothing. So unless your dissasembler can turn well-optimized assembler* into reasonably commented and intelligible C code structured in the way the programmer would write the original code, you are hopelessly out of customers.
*sorry I meant machine code, assembler is one level above that

 

@Kubeek: so you are an AVR/ARM guy (Not a PIC one) huh!

 

...
5. why would I want to disassemble anything? the source I compile provides me with well structured version of what I wrote in C compiled to asm with comments, so there really is no need to disassemble anything.
...

I agree. What is the point of disassembling?

If it's a proper project you already have the source code.

If it's a project you are not entitled to, then it's likely code protected anyway so you won't have any machine code to disassemble!

The only real use for a disassembler is if you are wanting to break code protection and crack someone else's protected machine code, then want to disassemble it.