Hello Everyone,
I got a task to work with the extension, but the Ruby source code is obfuscated,
Is there a way to de-obfuscate it safely?
Much appreciate for any help.
Regards,
Andrey
The entire purpose of ‘encryption’ is to protect the author’s intellectual property - they have spent a lot of time and effort in writing the code.
Being able to decrypt it defeats the object.
The .RBE encryption replaced the earlier .RBS format about 9 years ago, which was known to have been breached, and readable with a simple exe app.
The newer format is more difficult to read, but I think there were some tentative apps around briefly a few years ago. I assume SketchUp.com itself has the means to get into such files.
Decrypting the files is not on, even it it were not illegal.
Many of my own scripts on SketchUcation.com are unencrypted, so you can read what they do - some have an ‘open’ copyright statement in their header asking for at least some acknowledgement , whilst others are ‘all rights reserved’ - although with those I have always let anyone who asked reuse parts of their code too.
If you have a particular script in mind I suggest you enter into a dialog with its author either in a thread here, or a PM. Most authors are ‘kind’ and will give help over certain ideas and coding guidance etc - but don’t expect some of the ‘big-hitters’ to share too much, especially if they make commercial extensions which sell for higher values…
I’ll add to Tig’s message…
which extension ? got a task from whom?
Presumably the task is to modify the extension in some way or to copy some aspect of its operation. If the extension is licensed for a fee, don’t expect the author to give away their source of income for free!
Your first step should be to contact the author, explain what you want to do, and ask if they will share the unencrypted source with you. Again, if the original extension is not free you should be ready to negotiate a payment for access.
Thank you for your reply, guys.
The author has left the company where he worked. Before leaving, he obfuscated the source code of the extension he had been working on, so now I have to deal with that. I’m not sure why he did it. Of course, I tried to contact him, but he doesn’t want to explain anything. 
I’m not a lawyer, but if writing that code was his job, that sounds actionable to me. Perhaps a letter to him from your employer’s attorney is needed.
Is the file the newer RBE or the older RBS encryption ?