> This is a good example where adding an object-oriented representation to every header out there would require a lot of work. Most of the tools I've used repr

> This is a good example where adding an object-oriented representation to every header out there would require a lot of work. Most of the tools I've used represent the header as a hash/dictionary. I fail to see how that approach "requires a lot of work". > Until you try to use grep or something of that sort for some non-trivial analysis operation. You're arguing from the assumption that a binary protocol would be implemented by idiots. Custom binary tools can always emit a textual representation, at which point you can grep through it to your heart's content. This is the exact same problem that we've been solving with compilers for generations. It isn't nearly as insurmountable as you seem to believe.