Sparkling gems and new releases from the world of Free and Open Source Software
Binary editor
GNU poke
We often look at hexadecimal editors on these pages, and they can be useful for looking into binary files, but we don't often find an actual binary editor like GNU poke. Its name refers to a couple of ancient commands that originated with the DECsystem-10 but became infamous on the Commodore 64. The PEEK
command would be used to view the contents of a memory location, and the POKE
command was used to change its value. Both commands were crude, but they also allowed anyone to hack whatever was running in system memory. They were easy system exploits, and if you had a good understanding of the assembler and the hardware, you could achieve almost anything with lots of PEEK
and POKE
commands, no Internet, and too much time over a long summer break.
GNU poke is a binary editor that will appeal to those old-school (now middle-aged) hackers, but also to anyone with an interest in poking around binary files. It describes itself as "spartan," which in this context means there's not much to see when it's running. Launching it with a file as an argument doesn't open an editor you'd recognize but instead will offer you a prompt and some primitive help. Typing .dump
will generate output that looks like a hex editor, allowing you to see the first 128 bytes of your selected file. But the key to using poke is understanding the structure of the data you're looking at, because that allows you to use operators and even variables to procedurally edit and modify your data. Data can be copied to additional buffers, and there's decent file input and output for your saved changes and discoveries. It's deep and complex and difficult to learn despite the excellent internal documentation, but it's easier than doing this stuff manually in 1986 with PEEK
and POKE
commands and a summer spent reading hardware reference manuals.
Project Website
Game creator
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Red Hat Adds New Deployment Option for Enterprise Linux Platforms
Red Hat has re-imagined enterprise Linux for an AI future with Image Mode.
-
OSJH and LPI Release 2024 Open Source Pros Job Survey Results
See what open source professionals look for in a new role.
-
Proton 9.0-1 Released to Improve Gaming with Steam
The latest release of Proton 9 adds several improvements and fixes an issue that has been problematic for Linux users.
-
So Long Neofetch and Thanks for the Info
Today is a day that every Linux user who enjoys bragging about their system(s) will mourn, as Neofetch has come to an end.
-
Ubuntu 24.04 Comes with a “Flaw"
If you're thinking you might want to upgrade from your current Ubuntu release to the latest, there's something you might want to consider before doing so.
-
Canonical Releases Ubuntu 24.04
After a brief pause because of the XZ vulnerability, Ubuntu 24.04 is now available for install.
-
Linux Servers Targeted by Akira Ransomware
A group of bad actors who have already extorted $42 million have their sights set on the Linux platform.
-
TUXEDO Computers Unveils Linux Laptop Featuring AMD Ryzen CPU
This latest release is the first laptop to include the new CPU from Ryzen and Linux preinstalled.
-
XZ Gets the All-Clear
The back door xz vulnerability has been officially reverted for Fedora 40 and versions 38 and 39 were never affected.
-
Canonical Collaborates with Qualcomm on New Venture
This new joint effort is geared toward bringing Ubuntu and Ubuntu Core to Qualcomm-powered devices.