
	If you have ideas, questions, etc., - please call me!

	Ways to contact me are in the 'readme' file, registration part.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

        Here is some technical information about IDA 2.05

        I hope it is useful.

Contents:

        1. Macros
        2. Default IDC files
        3. How IDA searches for files
        4. Memory
        5. Some history
	6. More history
        7. Acknowledgements



1. Macros
---------

  You can use keystroke macros in IDA.
          To start recording a macro, press Alt--
	  Press a key to define (for example, Ctrl-D)
	  Enter macro body (any keys)
	  To end recording - Alt-=.
          To play macro - the defined key (in our example - Ctrl-D)

2. Default IDC files
--------------------

  When IDA starts, it searches for ida.idc file. If IDA founds it, IDA
  executes this file. If not, IDA proceeds silently. It is expected that
  you will place your  setup  commands  into this file. I hope that in
  the future ida.cfg file will disappear. If you try to disassemble some
  MS DOS driver (file extension .sys or .drv), IDA executes 'driver.idc' file.

3. How IDA searches for files
-----------------------------

     First, IDA looks into the directory, where IDA.EXE was started from.
     After it looks into PATHed directories.

4. Memory
---------

     Never use IDA with unsiffucient disk space. This may  lead  to  the
IDA database crash. Unsufficient RAM is not good too, but usually
IDA can handle this situation.

     Of course, you need a good disk cache to improve performance of IDA.
     In this case data will be cached too.

     IDA uses extended and expanded memory to overlay its code.

5. Some history
---------------

     First idea about IDA was born in the fall of 1990. It took half  an
year to screw up enough courage and to start  implementing  it.  In  the
beginning of 1991, in January, first code line  was  written.  In  April
1991 the first program was fully disassembled with IDA. IDA grew up  and
new ideas appeared. I wanted to create a built-in  C-style  language  to
control analysis of the program, to add more processors, to  disassemble
object files, to handle UNIX COFF files, to add more intelligence to IDA
e t c...

     Alas, all of this was not  implemented.  In  July  1991  I  stopped
working at IDA almost completely, working at IDA only for  fun.  It  was
time to learn more  about  other  computers,  networks  and  other  nice
things.  Today  I  would  implement  something  based  on  client-server
architecture with network support (I have a crazy idea  about  X-windows
implementation) working under various operating systems - but  I  won't.
Enough for the moment. I really think that  disassemblers  and  all  the
staff like this are becoming obsolete. People work with GUIs,  write  in
C++ (IDA  is  written  in  C++  too,  about  40000  lines);  they  adore
VisualBasic and they debug in  source  codes.  Today's  programmer  even
doesn't know assembler language - and doesn't need to know it.

But...

     I hope that this product will be a help for you. If so,  I'm  glad.
Hope, there are some people who need a tool like this. And if there is a
need to add a new processor type to IDA (the same was with Intel  8085),
I can do it fast enough.

6. More history
---------------

08.11.93 I never thought that I would work at IDA again. But you see,
	 here is a new version. And now I understand that new versions of IDA 
	 will appear...
17.02.84 I'm working on IDA to eat MS Windows executable files now.
	 Hope that it will come soon!
25.02.94 Now IDA can disassemle New Executable format files.

7. Acknowledgements
-------------------

  IDA would never be created without ideas and great support of
  these nice folks (sorry, it is not possible to mention
  all the people involved in IDA here):

    Serge Samborskij
    Pol Rousnak
    Nicolaj Logvinov

  Thanks to you all !
