The author managed to light some bulbs in my head along the way — Lasse Koskela, JavaRanch Bartender

Fascinated by the Java lady? Ever wanted to ask her out but never dared to? Get this book and take a shot. — Valentin Crettaz, Val's Blog: Stuff for software engineers and Java addicts

Decompiling Java is a worthwhile guide to this exotic niche in the Java landscape. — Bill Simons, Member, Denver JUG

Both Java and .NET use the idea of a virtual machine, or VM. And while VMs are useful for some purposes, they undermine the security of your source code, because creation can be reversed, or AAA1/2decompiled.AAA1/2 Which makes this one-of-a-kind book extremely useful: you must understand decompilation, to properly protect your intellectual property.

For example, how secure is your code after you run an obfuscator? The book will answer questions like this, and provide more thorough information about Java byte codes and the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) than any other book on the market. This book redresses the imbalance by providing insights into the features and limitations of today's decompilers and obfuscators, and offering a detailed look at what JVM's actually do.

Writing for those who want to learn Java by decompilation, Nolan, a specialist in web site optimization, explains how to turn partially compiled Java bytecodes back into source code so that readers can see what the original programmer was thinking. Early chapters unravel the Java classfile format and show how Java code is stored as bytecode and executed by the JVM. Later chapters focus on how to write a Java decompiler, and a final chapter offers case studies.
Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Both Java and .NET use the idea of a virtual machine, or VM. And while VMs are useful for some purposes, they undermine the security of your source code, because creation can be reversed, or decompiled. Which makes this one-of-a-kind book extremely useful: you must understand decompilation, to properly protect your intellectual property.

For example, how secure is your code after you run an obfuscator? The book will answer questions like this, and provide more thorough information about Java byte codes and the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) than any other book on the market. This book redresses the imbalance by providing insights into the features and limitations of today's decompilers and obfuscators, and offering a detailed look at what JVM's actually do.

Introduction; Inside the Class File; Tools of the Trade; Obfuscation (Theory and Practice); Decompiler Design; Decompiler Implementation; Future Proof.