What is "decompilation"

To reverse engineering is the process of discovering the technological principles of a device, object or system, through the analysis of its structure, function and operation. It often involves disassembling something (a mechanical device, electronic component, computer program, or biological , chemical or organic matter) and analyzing its components and functioning in detail, either for maintenance purposes or to support the creation of a new device or program that does the same thing without the use or simply duplicate (without understanding) the original.

Reverse engineering has its origins in hardware analysis for commercial or military advantage. The goal is to deduce final product design decisions with little or no additional knowledge about the procedures involved in the original production. The same techniques are later being researched for application in legacy software systems, not for industrial or defense purposes, but rather to replace incorrect, incomplete or unavailable documentation.