how to apply git diff binary patches without git installed

okay, let's dive into applying git binary patches without requiring git itself. this is a bit of a niche scenario, but understanding how it works can be useful in environments where git is unavailable, or you need a lightweight solution.

**understanding git binary patches**

first, it's crucial to understand what we're dealing with. git binary patches are produced by the `git diff` command when comparing binary files. unlike text-based diffs (which show line-by-line changes), binary diffs use a special format that describes how to transform the original binary file into the new binary file. this format typically involves a series of instructions to:

1. **copy** sections of the original file to the new file.
2. **insert** new data into the new file.

**why no git?**

you might be in a situation where:

* you're deploying to a very minimal environment (e.g., embedded system).
* you're working with legacy systems where installing git is difficult or undesirable.
* you're part of a larger deployment system and only need to apply pre-generated patches.
* you want to minimize dependencies for a particular script.

**the challenge**

the major challenge is that git's binary patch format is not a simple, standard format. it's designed to be processed by git's internal tools. we need to reverse-engineer a way to interpret the patch and apply the changes.

**general approach: reverse engineering the patch format**

we're going to need to write a program that can:

1. **parse the patch file:** understand the structure and commands within the binary patch.
2. **read the original file:** load the binary file that the patch is meant to be applied to.
3. **app ...

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