i can make the changes without unzipping the rom file (i'm using ubuntu), the archive manager updates the zip file to incur the changes, would it work this way with having to resign it?
ps: man you should really think about opening your own school to teach this shish
The answer to your question specifically as you have written it is "yes", however, I doubt that you are asking the question you wrote. I suspect you are asking if it would work withOUT having to re-sign it.... in that case, the answer is *no*.
You need to realize that you aren't seeing what is actually going on in the background. It IS unzipping and rezipping in the background.
That and the fact that the signature isn't just a static thing on a file -- it is actually an encrypted table of checksums, and when you add or alter any file within the zip, that table of checksums will no longer match what is in there.
IN FACT, you can UNZIP and REZIP the archive, leaving all files UNCHANGED, and then the signature will still be good.... if that were NOT the case, then adding the signature itself would change the signature and you'd be boned.
Read here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JAR_(file_format)
Note: JAR = zip.