At 04:56 PM 12/22/99 , you wrote:
>"Leland V. Lammert" wrote:
>
>i don't want to sound ungrateful, but that document is useless for
>someone
>who wants to learn how to operate the thing. if the openssl people want
>to get
>people to start using it, they've *got* to get some decent introductory
>documentation
>going.
Mike,
I don't think you have placed OpenSSL in the proper perspective. OpenSSL is a
*toolkit* used primarily with OTHER applications. For example, Apache has at least
three different ways to integrate OpenSSL, and the docs for that are contained within
the various Apache modules/options. OpenSSL is a VERY useful toolkit, .. to use it you
only need (basically) three things: 1) How to download it; 2) Compile it; 3) Generate
a certificate. All are covered pretty completely in the docs.
As a toolkit, OpenSSL can only be used *directly* by a programmer that knows C/C++,
and in that case documentation is not required, as the programmer has the experience
to use the toolkit directly.
Would you complain that gcc does not have documentation?
>i'd like to give openssl a go in some of the projects i'm doing
>i can compile it up etc.. but trying to figure out how one
>might actually employ it is not obvious (to put it mildly).
What sort of project? If it's a web project, see the Apache docs for the integration
method you choose (i.e. mod_ssl or apachessl). If you are building a CA, you will need
some of the docs at openca (which was offline yesterday, but should be back shortly).
If it's some other sort of project, your programmer should be fairly capable of
glancing at the existing docs to figure out the integration.
Since you're in the US, you need also to realize that openssl is NOT a US product, and
the folks have to be pretty cautious about infringing on the RSA patents (at least for
the next year).
HTH,
Lee
============================================
Leland V. Lammert [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Chief Scientist Omnitec Corporation
Network/Internet Consultants www.omnitec.net
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