The Collaborative International Dictionary
disassembler \dis`as*sem"bler\ n. (Computers) a computer program that takes as input a computer program in machine language and produces an equivalent assembly-language file.
Wiktionary
n. (context computing English) A computer program that examines another computer program and attempts to generate assembly language source code that would, in theory, reproduce the target program.
Wikipedia
A disassembler is a computer program that translates machine language into assembly language—the inverse operation to that of an assembler. A disassembler differs from a decompiler, which targets a high-level language rather than an assembly language. Disassembly, the output of a disassembler, is often formatted for human-readability rather than suitability for input to an assembler, making it principally a reverse-engineering tool.
Assembly language source code generally permits the use of constants and programmer comments. These are usually removed from the assembled machine code by the assembler. If so, a disassembler operating on the machine code would produce disassembly lacking these constants and comments; the disassembled output becomes more difficult for a human to interpret than the original annotated source code. Some disassemblers make use of the symbolic debugging information present in object files such as ELF. The Interactive Disassembler allows the human user to make up mnemonic symbols for values or regions of code in an interactive session: human insight applied to the disassembly process often parallels human creativity in the code writing process.
Disassembly is not an exact science: on CISC platforms with variable-width instructions, or in the presence of self-modifying code, it is possible for a single program to have two or more reasonable disassemblies. Determining which instructions would actually be encountered during a run of the program reduces to the proven-unsolvable halting problem.
Disassembler (born William Collier February 28, 1985) is an American electronic musician currently residing in Trenton, New Jersey. He first discovered using the Game Boy as a music tool in 1998 when Nintendo released the Game Boy Camera, which housed the Trippy-H music sequencer. Its features were limited and there weren't a lot of people making music with it at the time. So, he eagerly waited for the day when someone would create a program that was completely dedicated to making music on the Game Boy. In 2002 he discovered the Nanoloop 1.0 compilation at a local record shop and soon picked up his first Nanoloop cartridge. Since then he has been developing his own stylistic sound experimenting with a number of techniques and approaches to making music. In addition to using Game Boys and effects, he also uses software such as Native Instruments Reaktor and Twerk's Drool String Ukelele to manipulate sampled sounds from Nanoloop, adding gritty textures and reconstructed beats to what is already a very distinct sound set. He draws a lot of influence from IDM, Minimal Techno, Acid Techno of the mid-1990s and Berlin's current Electronic music scene.
Usage examples of "disassembler".
The tiny disassembler automata were plucked up by the trillions of trillions, until finally there were none left on the boot at all.
She had agreed to have dinner with Martin Humphries because she wanted to get the man to warn Dan Randolph about the nanomachines that she had planted in his vessel, virus-sized disassemblers that once were known as "gobblers.
Marc Tarkington, concluded his talk, numbing her brain with his narratives of assemblers, disassemblers, and replicators.
The first disassemblers could remove molecules from a structure, layer by layer, recording the identity and content of each molecule.
Also working in company with the disassemblers were several small wrecker droids, which shoveled up debris or used their built-in plasma torches to melt down scrap metal, plasteel cables, and other rubble considered not worth hauling away, but still too valuable to leave behind as raw materials for the enemy.
Also working in company with the disassemblers were several small wrecker droids, which shoveled up debris or used their built-in plasma torches to melt down scrap metal, plasteel cables, and other rubble considered not worth haul ing away, but still too valuable to leave behind as raw materials for the enemy.
The rocks below their busy cleats were a-skitter with bugs: gippers and ghents and kebbits, dismantlers and glue-spreaders and brain-eating carrion disassemblers.
And suddenly I feel a whole lot better about punching Reeve and dumping her into a macro-scale nanostructure disassembler, for the same reason that punching yourself in the face never feels quite as bad as having someone else do it for you.