Blame doc/cha-preface.texi
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@node Preface
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@chapter Preface
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This document demonstrates and explains the @acronym{GnuTLS}
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library API. A brief introduction to the protocols and the technology
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involved is also included so that an application programmer can
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better understand the @acronym{GnuTLS} purpose and actual offerings.
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Even if @acronym{GnuTLS} is a typical library software, it operates
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over several security and cryptographic protocols which require the
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programmer to make careful and correct usage of them. Otherwise it
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is likely to only obtain a false sense of security.
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The term of security is very broad even if restricted to computer
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software, and cannot be confined to a single cryptographic
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library. For that reason, do not consider any program secure just
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because it uses @acronym{GnuTLS}; there are several ways to compromise
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a program or a communication line and @acronym{GnuTLS} only helps with
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some of them.
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Although this document tries to be self contained, basic network
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programming and public key infrastructure (PKI) knowledge is assumed
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in most of it. A good introduction to networking can be found
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in @xcite{STEVENS}, to public key infrastructure in @xcite{GUTPKI}
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and to security engineering in @xcite{ANDERSON}.
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Updated versions of the @acronym{GnuTLS} software and this document
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will be available from @url{https://www.gnutls.org/}.
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