Skip to main content

FAQ

Is this a decompilation of the original machine code?​

No — it's a behavioral re-implementation. The original MSVC-11 machine code is not transcribed. Every public surface was rebuilt to be contract-compatible with the reference binaries, then pinned by an automated contract suite (Stub Design). The original binaries are not in this repository.

Why does the app launch but publishing/export produces test frames?​

Export rendering is a documented stub category: the transcode pipeline runs end-to-end and reports correct progress, but the encoder writes deterministic test frames rather than a real codec stream. It's the largest remaining reconstruction gap — see the TODO audit priorities.

Why are there bugs nobody fixed?​

Because they're the original's bugs, faithfully preserved — 23 of them, cataloged in Preserved Quirks. "Faithful" includes the bugs. A "remix" pass can strip them later if explicitly requested.

Can I build this on Linux/macOS/clang?​

No. The project is MSVC-only and Win32 (x86)-only, enforced with FATAL_ERROR at configure time. This matches the original binaries' architecture, export decorations, and the 32-bit contract suite.

Can I use 64-bit Python for the tests?​

No — the DLLs are 32-bit. Only the gitignored embedded 32-bit CPython (python32\python.exe) can load them; 64-bit Python fails with WinError 193.

Why do my contract tests report E_NOTIMPL everywhere?​

You're testing against build_clean\bin\Debug — the reference/parity-stub DLLs (the suite's default). Set $env:WMMR_DLL_DIR to build\bin\Debug first. See Verification.

What's the difference between build/ and build_clean/?​

build/ is the real reconstruction output. build_clean/ holds reference/parity-stub DLLs used as an export-parity source only — they return E_NOTIMPL from several factories and are never a behavioral oracle.

Are the COM GUIDs the original ones?​

Some are (extracted from binary strings + .rgs scripts — see analysis/COMGuids/). Reconstructed COM class GUIDs are hand-crafted placeholders because the originals were never extracted (Quirk #4).

Does it send telemetry or store my credentials?​

No, by rule. Telemetry (WLXPhotoSqm, DmxBici) is inert — S_OK and nothing leaves the machine. Credentials live in memory only or in a DPAPI-encrypted, bounds-checked store. See Security Policy.

Where did the architecture knowledge come from?​

Mostly RTTI extraction: 1360 class names across 48 namespaces, cross-referenced with strings, imports/exports, and registry scripts — all preserved under analysis/. See Binary Analysis.

How do I run just one contract?​

$env:WMMR_DLL_DIR = "$PWD\build\bin\Debug"
python32\python.exe tests\mmr-python\run_tests.py --list               # enumerate contract names
python32\python.exe tests\mmr-python\run_tests.py --filter wlxpipeline # run the matching contract(s)

How do I preview or edit this documentation site?​

cd website
npm install
npm start        # dev server with hot reload
npm run build    # production build → website/build

See website/README.md for details.