Changes in doc/README [7308b63:ed3ae7e]

File:

• doc/README (modified) (5 diffs)

doc/README

@@ -42 +42 @@
 directory is read-/writable by this user only.
 
+--- (Fork)Daemon mode
+
+If you don't want to run any inetd daemon, you can run BitlBee in Daemon
+mode. Right now, daemon mode may be a bad idea on servers with multiple
+users, since possible fatal BitlBee bugs will crash the BitlBee process and
+disconnect all connected users at once. Instead, you can use ForkDaemon
+mode, which serves every user from a separate process, without depending on
+an inetd daemon.
+
+To use BitlBee in daemon mode, just start it with the right flags or enable
+it in bitlbee.conf. You probably want to write an init script to start
+BitlBee automatically after a reboot. (This is where you realise using
+a package from your distro would've been a better idea. :-P)
+
 
 DEPENDENCIES
@@ -47 +61 @@
 
 BitlBee's only real dependency is GLib. This is available on virtually every
-platform. Any recent version of GLib (including 1.x versions) will work.
+platform. Any recent version of GLib (2.4 or higher) will work.
 
 These days, MSN Messenger clients have to connect to the MS Passport servers
@@ -155 +169 @@
 ====================
 
-BitlBee stores the accounts and settings (not your contact list though) in
-some sort of encrypted/obfuscated format.
-
-*** THIS IS NOT A SAFE FORMAT! ***
-
-You should still make sure the rights to the configuration directory and
-files are set so that only root and the BitlBee user can read/write them.
-
-This format is not to prevent malicicous users from running with your
-passwords, but to prevent accidental glimpses of the administrators to cause
-any harm. You have no choice but to trust root though.
+There used to be a note here about the simple obfuscation method used to
+make the passwords in the configuration files unreadable. However, BitlBee
+now uses a better format (and real encryption (salted MD5 and RC4)) to store
+the passwords. This means that people who somehow get their hands on your
+configuration files can't easily extract your passwords from them anymore.
+
+However, once you log into the BitlBee server and send your password, an
+intruder with tcpdump can still read your passwords. This can't really be
+avoided, of course. The new format is a lot more reliable (because it can't
+be cracked with just very basic crypto analysis anymore), but you still have
+to be careful. The main extra protection offered by the new format is that
+the files can only be cracked with some help from the user (by sending the
+password at login time).
+
+So if you run a public server, it's most important that you don't give root
+access to people who like to play with tcpdump. Also, it's a good idea to
+delete all *.nicks/*.accounts files as soon as BitlBee converted them to the
+new format (which happens as soon as the user logs in, it can't be done
+automatically because it needs the password for that account). You won't
+need them anymore (unless you want to switch back to an older BitlBee
+version) and they only make it easier for others to crack your passwords.
 
 
@@ -174 +198 @@
 file COPYING for this license.
 
-Unfortunately some parts of the Gaim Jabber plugin (most notably the XML
-code) were licensed under the MPL (Mozilla Public License) version 1.1. We
-could not relicense this code under the GPL. As such it is still licensed
-under the MPL. The parts of the code to which this applies are marked as
-such.
-
-The MPL is provided in the file MPL-1.1.txt. This license is not GPL
-compatible. It is however a free software license.
-
-Another part (the md5 algorithm) is licensed under the Aladdin license.
-This license can be found in the files, to which this applies.
+The MD5 algorithm code is licensed under the Aladdin license. This license
+can be found in the files, to which this applies. The SHA1 algorithm code
+is licensed under the Mozilla Public License, see http://www.mozilla.org/MPL/
+for details.
 
 The Yahoo! library used by BitlBee is libyahoo2 <http://libyahoo2.sf.net/>,
@@ -192 +209 @@
         BitlBee - An IRC to other chat networks gateway 
                   <http://www.bitlbee.org/>
-        Copyright (C) 2002-2005  Wilmer van der Gaast <wilmer@gaast.net>
+        Copyright (C) 2002-2007  Wilmer van der Gaast <wilmer@gaast.net>
                                  and others