this post was submitted on 02 Nov 2026
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The adobe suite was not reverse engineered, in the sense in which the term is applied to binary, closed-source softeware. Rather, it was cloned.
This is technically and often also legally very different. Cloning is a new implementation of a system which reproduces the abstract API of an existing System. Since APIs are not subject to copyright law, this is legally unproblemaric. It is also a creative process (so far). For exsmple, Linux is a clone of AT & T Unix.
Reverse engineering uses techniques like analysing the internal behaviour and decompiling the binary code of an existing product. It is im general not illegal, but it can violate license agreements and is more in a grey area. Laws like the DMCA might also apply if some kind of copy protection is used.
BTW, many Linux drivers are reverse enginnered to some degree.
Unless your definition of "clone" is very different from the mainstream one, you're talking out of your ass here. Linux was written from scratch. The only thing they've got in common is being POSIX-compliant.