Various README updates

Close GH Issue 69
Close GH PR 457
Some other updates

By Rich Salz, Alessandro Ghedini, Steve Marquess, Collin Anderson

Reviewed-by: Kurt Roeckx <kurt@openssl.org>

diff --git a/README b/README
index 1ee02b342511f865d5f6a9a5bf8a979d7b1f1e8f..cc20f57d80cbe4eaddf2b7b804b6ab07b1419563 100644 (file)
--- a/README
+++ b/README
@@ -10,17 +10,17 @@
 
  The OpenSSL Project is a collaborative effort to develop a robust,
  commercial-grade, fully featured, and Open Source toolkit implementing the
 
  The OpenSSL Project is a collaborative effort to develop a robust,
  commercial-grade, fully featured, and Open Source toolkit implementing the

- Secure Sockets Layer (SSL v2/v3) and Transport Layer Security (TLS v1)
- protocols as well as a full-strength general purpose cryptography library.
- The project is managed by a worldwide community of volunteers that use the
- Internet to communicate, plan, and develop the OpenSSL toolkit and its
- related documentation.
+ Secure Sockets Layer (SSLv3) and Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocols as
+ well as a full-strength general purpose cryptograpic library. The project is
+ managed by a worldwide community of volunteers that use the Internet to
+ communicate, plan, and develop the OpenSSL toolkit and its related
+ documentation.

 
 

- OpenSSL is based on the excellent SSLeay library developed from Eric A. Young
+ OpenSSL is descended from the SSLeay library developed by Eric A. Young

  and Tim J. Hudson.  The OpenSSL toolkit is licensed under a dual-license (the
  and Tim J. Hudson.  The OpenSSL toolkit is licensed under a dual-license (the

- OpenSSL license plus the SSLeay license) situation, which basically means
- that you are free to get and use it for commercial and non-commercial
- purposes as long as you fulfill the conditions of both licenses.
+ OpenSSL license plus the SSLeay license), which means that you are free to
+ get and use it for commercial and non-commercial purposes as long as you
+ fulfill the conditions of both licenses.

 
  OVERVIEW
  --------
 
  OVERVIEW
  --------


@@ -28,90 +28,39 @@
  The OpenSSL toolkit includes:
 
  libssl.a:
  The OpenSSL toolkit includes:
 
  libssl.a:

-     Implementation of SSLv2, SSLv3, TLSv1 and the required code to support
-     both SSLv2, SSLv3 and TLSv1 in the one server and client.
+     Provides the client and server-side implementations for SSLv3 and TLS.

 
  libcrypto.a:
 
  libcrypto.a:

-     General encryption and X.509 v1/v3 stuff needed by SSL/TLS but not
-     actually logically part of it. It includes routines for the following:
-
-     Ciphers
-        libdes - EAY's libdes DES encryption package which was floating
-                 around the net for a few years, and was then relicensed by
-                 him as part of SSLeay.  It includes 15 'modes/variations'
-                 of DES (1, 2 and 3 key versions of ecb, cbc, cfb and ofb;
-                 pcbc and a more general form of cfb and ofb) including desx
-                 in cbc mode, a fast crypt(3), and routines to read
-                 passwords from the keyboard.
-        RC4 encryption,
-        RC2 encryption      - 4 different modes, ecb, cbc, cfb and ofb.
-        Blowfish encryption - 4 different modes, ecb, cbc, cfb and ofb.
-        IDEA encryption     - 4 different modes, ecb, cbc, cfb and ofb.
-
-     Digests
-        MD5 and MD2 message digest algorithms, fast implementations,
-        SHA (SHA-0) and SHA-1 message digest algorithms,
-        MDC2 message digest. A DES based hash that is popular on smart cards.
-
-     Public Key
-        RSA encryption/decryption/generation.
-            There is no limit on the number of bits.
-        DSA encryption/decryption/generation.
-            There is no limit on the number of bits.
-        Diffie-Hellman key-exchange/key generation.
-            There is no limit on the number of bits.
-
-     X.509v3 certificates
-        X509 encoding/decoding into/from binary ASN1 and a PEM
-             based ASCII-binary encoding which supports encryption with a
-             private key.  Program to generate RSA and DSA certificate
-             requests and to generate RSA and DSA certificates.
-
-     Systems
-        The normal digital envelope routines and base64 encoding.  Higher
-        level access to ciphers and digests by name.  New ciphers can be
-        loaded at run time.  The BIO io system which is a simple non-blocking
-        IO abstraction.  Current methods supported are file descriptors,
-        sockets, socket accept, socket connect, memory buffer, buffering, SSL
-        client/server, file pointer, encryption, digest, non-blocking testing
-        and null.
-
-     Data structures
-        A dynamically growing hashing system
-        A simple stack.
-        A Configuration loader that uses a format similar to MS .ini files.
+     Provides general cryptographic and X.509 support needed by SSL/TLS but
+     not logically part of it.

 
  openssl:
      A command line tool that can be used for:
 
  openssl:
      A command line tool that can be used for:

-        Creation of RSA, DH and DSA key parameters
+        Creation of key parameters

         Creation of X.509 certificates, CSRs and CRLs
         Creation of X.509 certificates, CSRs and CRLs

-        Calculation of Message Digests
-        Encryption and Decryption with Ciphers
-        SSL/TLS Client and Server Tests
+        Calculation of message digests
+        Encryption and decryption
+        SSL/TLS client and server tests

         Handling of S/MIME signed or encrypted mail
         Handling of S/MIME signed or encrypted mail

+        And more...

 
  INSTALLATION
  ------------
 
 
  INSTALLATION
  ------------
 

- To install this package under a Unix derivative, read the INSTALL file.  For
- a Win32 platform, read the INSTALL.W32 file.  For OpenVMS systems, read
- INSTALL.VMS.
-
- Read the documentation in the doc/ directory.  It is quite rough, but it
- lists the functions; you will probably have to look at the code to work out
- how to use them. Look at the example programs.
-
- PROBLEMS
- --------
-
- For some platforms, there are some known problems that may affect the user
- or application author.  We try to collect those in doc/PROBLEMS, with current
- thoughts on how they should be solved in a future of OpenSSL.
+ See the appropriate file:
+        INSTALL         Linux, Unix, etc.
+        INSTALL.DJGPP   DOS platform with DJGPP
+        INSTALL.NW      Netware
+        INSTALL.OS2     OS/2
+        INSTALL.VMS     VMS
+        INSTALL.W32     Windows (32bit)
+        INSTALL.W64     Windows (64bit)
+        INSTALL.WCE     Windows CE

 
  SUPPORT
  -------
 
 
  SUPPORT
  -------
 

- See the OpenSSL website www.openssl.org for details of how to obtain
+ See the OpenSSL website www.openssl.org for details on how to obtain

  commercial technical support.
 
  If you have any problems with OpenSSL then please take the following steps
  commercial technical support.
 
  If you have any problems with OpenSSL then please take the following steps


@@ -159,3 +108,11 @@
  ----------------------------
 
  See CONTRIBUTING
  ----------------------------
 
  See CONTRIBUTING

+
+ LEGALITIES
+ ----------
+
+ A number of nations, in particular the U.S., restrict the use or export
+ of cryptography. If you are potentially subject to such restrictions
+ you should seek competent professional legal advice before attempting to
+ develop or distribute cryptographic code.