[summerofcode] Project Idea: elf binary library

[Brett C.]

Alexander Stante wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> as an project idea i would have an elf (executable and linking format)
> binary library which allows the user to inspect and manipulate elf
> binaries. Although there is already a in C written library out there:
> http://www.mr511.de/software/english.html I think it would be a
> benifit that such a library were written in python.
> 
> I came to this idea after spending a lot of time reverse engineering
> some, in that case even non elf, binaries. I was using IDA Pro and it
> was lacking some features that would really speed up my work so I
> start making some thought about something like an open source
> equivalent.
> 
> An IDA Pro equivalent is not possible to finish in just some month for
> the SoC and would be obvoiusly rejected by PSF because it would be
> just an application written in python.
> 

Don't assume that.  If the app would be useful to Python users then the PSF
might accept the project.

> But an elflib, which could be expanded in future to some kind of
> generic executable binary library that supports other formats like for
> example mach-o and so on, could be something like PIL for executables
> in the future.
> 
> I wonder if the PSF can be a mentoring organization and if someone
> would would agree to be a mentor for such a project.
> 

You can list the PSF as the mentoring project since it this app would benefit
the Python community.  You might also want to consider approaching Ubuntu and
GNOME since they are Linux-centric and thus might be much more interested in
this and thus up your chances of it being accepted.

-Brett