@node Preface
@chapter Preface

This document demonstrates and explains the @acronym{GnuTLS}
library API.  A brief introduction to the protocols and the technology
involved is also included so that an application programmer can
better understand the @acronym{GnuTLS} purpose and actual offerings.
Even if @acronym{GnuTLS} is a typical library software, it operates
over several security and cryptographic protocols which require the
programmer to make careful and correct usage of them. Otherwise it
is likely to only obtain a false sense of security.
The term of security is very broad even if restricted to computer
software, and cannot be confined to a single cryptographic
library.  For that reason, do not consider any program secure just
because it uses @acronym{GnuTLS}; there are several ways to compromise
a program or a communication line and @acronym{GnuTLS} only helps with
some of them.

Although this document tries to be self contained, basic network
programming and public key infrastructure (PKI) knowledge is assumed 
in most of it. A good introduction to networking can be found 
in @xcite{STEVENS}, to public key infrastructure in @xcite{GUTPKI}
and to security engineering in @xcite{ANDERSON}.

Updated versions of the @acronym{GnuTLS} software and this document
will be available from @url{http://www.gnutls.org/}.
