In this episode of Scott and Mark Learn To, Scott Hanselman and Mark Russinovich delve into the intricate world of undocumented APIs, examining their associated risks and benefits. Mark shares his journey into reverse engineering, starting with the Apple II and evolving through his exploration of Windows internals. He elaborates on his PhD thesis on fault management, which sparked his interest in undocumented APIs. The conversation includes technical insights into disassembling and debugging, showcasing Mark’s development of his own disassembler and use of tools like SoftICE for kernel debugging. They also explore Microsoft’s rationale for keeping certain APIs undocumented, highlighting the importance of flexibility in system evolution without compromising application stability.

Takeaways:    

• Microsoft’s commitment to maintaining backward compatibility for older applications 
• How contemporary systems manage small crashes to maintain long-term stability 
• How Mark started his journey on Windows internal APIs 

Who are they?     

View Scott Hanselman on LinkedIn  

View Mark Russinovich on LinkedIn   

Watch Scott and Mark Learn To on YouTube 

Listen & Subscribe at scottandmarklearn.to  

Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts

Download the Transcript

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.