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Annotation of pgp/readme.doc, revision 1.1.1.5

1.1.1.5 ! root        1:           Pretty Good Privacy version 2.5 - READ ME FIRST
        !             2:                        Notes by Perry Metzger
        !             3:                    Edited for 2.3a by Colin Plumb
        !             4: 
        !             5: 
        !             6: You are looking at the README file for PGP release 2.5.  PGP, short for
        !             7: Pretty Good Privacy, is a public key encryption package; with it, you
        !             8: can secure messages you transmit against unauthorized reading and
        !             9: digitally sign them so that people receiving them can be sure they
        !            10: come from you.
        !            11: 
        !            12: The files pgpdoc1.txt and pgpdoc2.txt contain documentation for the
        !            13: system.  Before using PGP, PLEASE READ THE DOCUMENTATION.  This tends
        !            14: to get neglected with most computer software, but cryptography software
        !            15: is easy to misuse, and if you don't use it properly much of the security
        !            16: you could gain by using it will be lost!
        !            17: 
        !            18: Security is only as strong as the weakest link, and while the algorithms
        !            19: in PGP are some of the strongest known in the civilian world, there are
        !            20: things outside the program's control which can weaken your security as
        !            21: assuredly as forgetting to lock a vault door.  Even if you are already
        !            22: familiar with public key cryptography, it is important that you
        !            23: understand the various security issues associated with using PGP. 
        !            24: 
        !            25: There are four archives in the PGP 2.5 release.  You will usually only
        !            26: need one of them.  They are:
        !            27: - pgp25.zip      This is the MS-DOS executable release, which includes
        !            28:                  the executable, support files, and basic documentation.
        !            29:                   Note: This archive contains an inner zip file named
        !            30:                  pgp25i.zip. This internal zip file contains the actual
        !            31:                  PGP release. pgp25.zip contains it and pgp25i.asc which
        !            32:                  is a detached signature generated by [email protected] for
        !            33:                   pgp25i.zip. In this fashtion you can verify that the
        !            34:                  release you received is authentic. Other signatures
        !            35:                  will be included in the future.
        !            36: - pgp25src.zip   This is a source code release, which includes all the source
        !            37:                  code needed to compile PGP and examples of usage.  This
        !            38:                  contains everything in pgp25.zip except that the manual is
        !            39:                  not paginated.
        !            40: - pgp25src.tar.gz This contains exactly the same files as pgp25src.zip, except
        !            41:                  that they use Unix rather than MS-DOS line end conventions.
        !            42: - pgp25doc.zip   This is the documentation for PGP only.  This can be freely
        !            43:                  exported and is useful to tell people what PGP does.
        !            44: 
        !            45: While we welcome ports to other platforms, if you make your own archive
        !            46: for distribution, PLEASE INCLUDE THE MANUAL.  It covers important
        !            47: security and legal issues which a new user must know.
        !            48:                
        !            49: Assuming you have a code (non-documentation) release, the file SETUP.DOC
        !            50: contains information on how to install PGP on your system; this document
        !            51: is broken up into several sections, each dealing with a different
        !            52: operating system: PGP2.5 is known to run on MS-DOS and UNIX. It should
        !            53: also run on VMS and OS/2, but these have not been tested yet.  Part of
        !            54: the information in SETUP.DOC might make more sense if you have already
        !            55: read the manuals.
        !            56: 
        !            57: PGP2.5 is freeware; you are welcome to copy and distribute it provided that
        !            58: you do not export it from the U.S. and you follow the terms and conditions
        !            59: of the included RSAREF license.
        !            60: 
        !            61: For details on what has changed since release 2.3a, see doc/newfor24.doc
        !            62: and doc/newfor25.doc.  Release 2.4 was given to ViaCrypt only, and
        !            63: fixed a few minor bugs.
        !            64: 
        !            65: MANIFEST for PGP 2.5 MSDOS executable release
        !            66: ---------------------------------------------
        !            67: 
        !            68: Here is a list of files included in the PGP 2.5 MSDOS executable release
        !            69: file PGP25.ZIP...
        !            70: 
        !            71: README.DOC      - This file you are reading
        !            72: PGP.EXE         - PGP executable program
        !            73: CONFIG.TXT      - User configuration parameter file for PGP
        !            74: LANGUAGE.TXT    - Sample language file for French and Spanish
        !            75: PGP.HLP         - Online help file for PGP
        !            76: ES.HLP          - Online help file in Spanish
        !            77: FR.HLP          - Online help file in French
        !            78: KEYS.ASC        - Sample public keys you should add to your keyring
        !            79: DOC\SETUP.DOC   - Installation guide
        !            80: DOC\PGPDOC1.DOC         - PGP User's Guide, Vol I: Essential Topics
        !            81: DOC\PGPDOC2.DOC         - PGP User's Guide, Vol II: Special Topics
        !            82: DOC\COPYING     - GNU General Public Licence
        !            83: DOC\BLURB.TXT   - Brief description of PGP, for BBS indexes
        !            84: DOC\POLITIC.DOC         - Computer-related political groups
        !            85: DOC\NEWFOR22.TXT - Differences between PGP 2.2 and PGP 2.1
        !            86: DOC\NEWFOR23.TXT - Differences between PGP 2.3 and PGP 2.2
        !            87: DOC\NEWFOR24.TXT - Differences between PGP 2.4 and PGP 2.3
        !            88: DOC\NEWFOR25.TXT - Differences between PGP 2.5 and PGP 2.4
        !            89: DOC\LICENSE.TXT  - RSAREF 2.0 license
        !            90: 
        !            91: For Clinical Paranoia Sufferers Only
        !            92: ------------------------------------
        !            93: 
        !            94: It is always possible that the PGP you have received has been tampered
        !            95: with in some way.  This is a risk because PGP is used as a system to
        !            96: assure security, so those wishing to breach your security could likely
        !            97: do it by making sure that your copy of PGP has been tampered with.  Of
        !            98: course, if you receive PGP in a binary distribution, it makes sense to
        !            99: check it for viruses, and if you receive PGP as source code, looking
        !           100: for signs of obvious tampering might be a good idea.  However, it is
        !           101: very difficult to actually determine if the code has no subtle bugs
        !           102: that have been introduced and that the executable you are using has
        !           103: not been tampered with in any way.
        !           104: 
        !           105: If you have a previous version of PGP which you already trust, the
        !           106: cryptographic signature on the executable will assure you that it has
        !           107: not been tampered with (with the possible exception of a "stealth virus"
        !           108: already existing on your system).  If you are a really paranoid person,
        !           109: try getting a cryptographically signed copy of the software from someone
        !           110: you trust to have a good copy.  It would also likely be good for you to
        !           111: pay special attention to the sections of the manual on "Vulnerabilities."  
        !           112: You are going to read the manual, aren't you?

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