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diff --git a/doc/README b/doc/README new file mode 100644 index 00000000..7a1309fb --- /dev/null +++ b/doc/README @@ -0,0 +1,172 @@ +INSTALLATION +============ + +If you installed BitlBee from a .deb or .rpm you probably don't have to do +anything anymore for installation. Just skip this section. + +If you want to compile BitlBee yourself, that's fine. Just run ./configure +to set up the build system. If configure succeeds, run make to build BitlBee. +make install will move all the files to the right places. + +After installation you have to set up inetd (you got that one running, +right? If not, just take a look at utils/bitlbeed.c) to start BitlBee. You +need to add BitlBee to inetd.conf, like this: + +6667 stream tcp nowait nobody /usr/sbin/tcpd /usr/local/sbin/bitlbee + +Creating a special BitlBee user and running BitlBee with that UID (instead +of just 'nobody') might be a good idea. + +Also, don't forget to create the configuration directory (/var/lib/bitlbee/ +by default) and chown it to the UID BitlBee is running as. Make sure this +directory is read-/writable by this user only. + +(For xinetd users a xinetd configuration file is included: doc/bitlbee.xinetd) + + +DEPENDENCIES +============ + +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. + +These days, MSN Messenger clients have to connect to the MS Passport servers +through HTTPS. BitlBee can use serveral SSL libraries for this: GnuTLS, NSS +(which comes with Mozilla) and OpenSSL. OpenSSL is not GPL-compatible in some +situations, so using GnuTLS or NSS is preferred. However, especially on *BSD, +OpenSSL can be considered part of the operating system, which eliminates the +GPL incompatibility. + +The incompatibility is also the reason why the SSL library detection code +doesn't attempt to use OpenSSL. If you want to use OpenSSL, you have to +force configure to use it using the --ssl=openssl parameter. For more +information about this problem, see the URL's configure will write to stdout +when you attempt to use OpenSSL. + + +PORTABILITY ISSUES +================== + +FreeBSD NOTE: It looks like FreeBSD does allow port numbers instead of service +names in inetd.conf, as long as the service for this port exists in +/etc/services. Linux isn't this strict. If you got problems in FreeBSD, just +add a line for your chosen port number to /etc/services. + +Darwin/Mac OS X is even more strict; you should add a bitlbee service to +/etc/services and use that name in inetd.conf. Not really a problem, since +that's the cleanest way of doing this on any operating system anyway. + +Cygwin NOTE: You'll need a glib installation to run BitlBee. However, Cygwin +doesn't provide a glib package. You can download a binary tar.gz from: +<http://my.dreamwiz.com/jbdoll/>. When you installed it, BitlBee should work +fine. You'll probably like bitlbeed or xinetd to get it running on the +network. + +On some non-Linux systems the program still suffers from some random bugs. +Please do report them, we might be able to fix them if they're not too +mysterious. + + +RUNNING ON SERVERS WITH MANY USERS +================================== + +BitlBee is not yet bug-free. Sometimes a bug causes the program to get into +an infinite loop. Something you really don't want on a public server, +especially when that machine is also used for other (mission-critical) things. +For now we can't do much about it. We haven't seen that happen for a long +time already on our own machines, but some people still manage to get +themselves in nasty situations we haven't seen before. + +For now the best we can offer against this problem is bitlbeed, which allows +you to setrlimit() the child processes to use no more than a specified +number of CPU seconds. Not the best solution (not really a solution anyway), +but certainly trashing one busy daemon process is better than trashing your +whole machine. + +We don't believe adding a limit for bitlbee to /etc/security/limits.conf will +work, because that file is only read by PAM (ie just for real login users, +not daemons). + +See utils/bitlbeed.c for more information about the program. + +Just a little note: We run our public server im.bitlbee.org for a couple of +months now, and so far we haven't experienced this problem yet. The only +BitlBee processes killed because of CPU-time overuse were running for a long +time already, they were usually killed during the MSN login process (which +is quite CPU-time consuming). + + +USAGE +===== + +Not much to say here, it's all documented elsewhere already. Just connect to +the new BitlBee IRC server and the bot (root) will tell you what to do. + + +BACKGROUNDS +=========== + +We are both console lovers. But it is annoying to have a few tty's open with +chat things in them. IRC, ICQ, MSN, AIM, Jabber... For X there is Gaim, which +supports many chatprotocols. Why wasn't there such a thing for the console? + +The idea to port Gaim was easily thought of, of course. But we liked our IRC +clients. And we used it the most, so we used it best. Importing it into the +IRC client was a nice idea. But what if someone liked a different client. +Then (s)he had to duplicate our work. + +That's a shame, we thought. Doing work twice is pointless. So when Wilmer +got the ingenious thought in his mind while farming, to create an IRC to +other chatnetworks gateway, we were both so excited, that we started working +on it almost immediately. And the result is BitlBee. + + +WEBSITE +======= + +You can find new releases of BitlBee at: +http://www.bitlbee.org/ + + +A NOTE ON ENCRYPTION +==================== + +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. + + +LEGAL +===== + +BitlBee is distributed under the GPL (GNU General Public License). See the +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 Yahoo! library used by BitlBee is libyahoo2 <http://libyahoo2.sf.net/>, +also licensed under the GPL. + + + BitlBee - An IRC to other chat networks gateway + <http://www.bitlbee.org/> + Copyright (C) 2002-2004 Wilmer van der Gaast <wilmer@gaast.net> + and others |