\input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*-
@setfilename pgg
+@settitle PGG @value{VERSION}
@set VERSION 0.1
-
@copying
-This file describes PGG, an Emacs interface to various PGP implementations.
+This file describes PGG @value{VERSION}, an Emacs interface to various
+PGP implementations.
-Copyright @copyright{} 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
-Copyright @copyright{} 2001 Daiki Ueno.
+Copyright @copyright{} 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
+Free Software Foundation, Inc.
@quotation
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
-under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or
+under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3 or
any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
-Invariant Sections, with no Front-Cover Texts, and with no Back-Cover
-Texts. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled ``GNU
-Free Documentation License''.
+Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU Manual,''
+and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the license
+is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation License.''
+
+(a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have the freedom to copy and
+modify this GNU manual. Buying copies from the FSF supports it in
+developing GNU and promoting software freedom.''
@end quotation
@end copying
* PGG: (pgg). Emacs interface to various PGP implementations.
@end direntry
-@settitle PGG @value{VERSION}
-
-
@titlepage
@title PGG
@vskip 0pt plus 1filll
@insertcopying
@end titlepage
-@page
+
+@contents
@node Top
@top PGG
-This manual describes PGG. PGG is an interface library between Emacs
+
+PGG is an interface library between Emacs
and various tools for secure communication. PGG also provides a simple
user interface to encrypt, decrypt, sign, and verify MIME messages.
+@ifnottex
+@insertcopying
+@end ifnottex
+
@menu
* Overview:: What PGG is.
* Prerequisites:: Complicated stuff you may have to do.
* How to use:: Getting started quickly.
* Architecture::
* Parsing OpenPGP packets::
+* GNU Free Documentation License:: The license for this documentation.
* Function Index::
* Variable Index::
@end menu
This document assumes that you have already obtained and installed them
and that you are familiar with its basic functions.
-By default, PGG uses GnuPG, but Pretty Good Privacy version 2 or version
-5 are also supported. If you are new to such a system, I recommend that
-you should look over the GNU Privacy Handbook (GPH) which is available
-at @uref{http://www.gnupg.org/gph/}.
+By default, PGG uses GnuPG. If you are new to such a system, I
+recommend that you should look over the GNU Privacy Handbook (GPH)
+which is available at @uref{http://www.gnupg.org/documentation/}.
+
+When using GnuPG, we recommend the use of the @code{gpg-agent}
+program, which is distributed with versions 2.0 and later of GnuPG.
+This is a daemon to manage private keys independently from any
+protocol, and provides the most secure way to input and cache your
+passphrases (@pxref{Caching passphrase}). By default, PGG will
+attempt to use @code{gpg-agent} if it is running. @xref{Invoking
+GPG-AGENT,,,gnupg,Using the GNU Privacy Guard}.
+
+PGG also supports Pretty Good Privacy version 2 or version 5.
@node How to use
@chapter How to use
@node Caching passphrase
@section Caching passphrase
-PGG uses a simple passphrase caching mechanism, which is enabled by
-default.
+When using GnuPG (gpg) as the PGP scheme, we recommend using a program
+called @code{gpg-agent} for entering and caching
+passphrases@footnote{Actually, @code{gpg-agent} does not cache
+passphrases but private keys. On the other hand, from a user's point
+of view, this technical difference isn't visible.}.
+
+@defvar pgg-gpg-use-agent
+If non-@code{nil}, attempt to use @code{gpg-agent} whenever possible.
+The default is @code{t}. If @code{gpg-agent} is not running, or GnuPG
+is not the current PGP scheme, PGG's own passphrase-caching mechanism
+is used (see below).
+@end defvar
+
+To use @code{gpg-agent} with PGG, you must first ensure that
+@code{gpg-agent} is running. For example, if you are running in the X
+Window System, you can do this by putting the following line in your
+@file{.xsession} file:
+
+@smallexample
+eval "$(gpg-agent --daemon)"
+@end smallexample
+
+For more details on invoking @code{gpg-agent}, @xref{Invoking
+GPG-AGENT,,,gnupg,Using the GNU Privacy Guard}.
+
+Whenever you perform a PGG operation that requires a GnuPG passphrase,
+GnuPG will contact @code{gpg-agent}, which prompts you for the
+passphrase. Furthermore, @code{gpg-agent} ``caches'' the result, so
+that subsequent uses will not require you to enter the passphrase
+again. (This cache usually expires after a certain time has passed;
+you can change this using the @code{--default-cache-ttl} option when
+invoking @code{gpg-agent}.)
+
+If you are running in a X Window System environment, @code{gpg-agent}
+prompts for a passphrase by opening a graphical window. However, if
+you are running Emacs on a text terminal, @code{gpg-agent} has trouble
+receiving input from the terminal, since it is being sent to Emacs.
+One workaround for this problem is to run @code{gpg-agent} on a
+different terminal from Emacs, with the @code{--keep-tty} option; this
+tells @code{gpg-agent} use its own terminal to prompt for passphrases.
+
+When @code{gpg-agent} is not being used, PGG prompts for a passphrase
+through Emacs. It also has its own passphrase caching mechanism,
+which is controlled by the variable @code{pgg-cache-passphrase} (see
+below).
+
+There is a security risk in handling passphrases through PGG rather
+than @code{gpg-agent}. When you enter your passphrase into an Emacs
+prompt, it is temporarily stored as a cleartext string in the memory
+of the Emacs executable. If the executable memory is swapped to disk,
+the root user can, in theory, extract the passphrase from the
+swapfile. Furthermore, the swapfile containing the cleartext
+passphrase might remain on the disk after the system is discarded or
+stolen. @code{gpg-agent} avoids this problem by using certain tricks,
+such as memory locking, which have not been implemented in Emacs.
@defvar pgg-cache-passphrase
If non-@code{nil}, store passphrases. The default value of this
Elapsed time for expiration in seconds.
@end defvar
-@defvar pgg-gpg-use-agent
-When using GnuPG (gpg) as PGP scheme you can use @code{gpg-agent} for
-caching@footnote{Actually @code{gpg-agent} does not cache passphrases
-but private keys. On the other hand, from a users point of view this
-technical difference isn't visible.}. If non-@code{nil} try to use a
-running @code{gpg-agent}. It defaults to @code{nil}.
+If your passphrase contains non-ASCII characters, you might need to
+specify the coding system to be used to encode your passphrases, since
+GnuPG treats them as a byte sequence, not as a character sequence.
+
+@defvar pgg-passphrase-coding-system
+Coding system used to encode passphrase.
@end defvar
@node Default user identity
If non-@code{nil}, don't check the checksum of the packets.
@end defvar
+@node GNU Free Documentation License
+@appendix GNU Free Documentation License
+@include doclicense.texi
+
@node Function Index
-@chapter Function Index
+@unnumbered Function Index
@printindex fn
@node Variable Index
-@chapter Variable Index
+@unnumbered Variable Index
@printindex vr
-@summarycontents
-@contents
@bye
@c End: