TkPGP README
TkPGP is a Tcl/Tk script that serves as a GUI shell for PGP or GnuPG crypto software (which you have to get from elsewhere due to export restrictions, see links below).
TkPGP intends to completely eliminate need to access commandline interface of PGP for UNIX. Currently most of casual activity such as signing, encrypting and decrypting is done in GUI. Key management remains a domain of command line for the time being.
REQUIREMENTS
Operating system:
TkPGP runs on my Linux RH 6.1 (kernel 2.2.12). It should also work on other UNIX systems and Windows 95/98/NT (though PGP on Windows is already done in GUI). The installation Makefile should run only on UNIX, but manual installation is possible on other systems.
Additional software:
Tcl/Tk is required. I use version 8.0 which came on my RedHat CD. Tcl/Tk is unconditionally installed because it is used for system tasks as well. No optional packages are required at the moment, though I may wish to employ some nice GUI controls later on.
TkPGP is not very useful without the crypto software. You can get PGP from usual sources, such as:
http://www.pgp.com (USA, Canada)
http://www.pgpi.com (rest of the planet)
GnuPG can be obtained from
or at your friendly neighborhood GNU mirror.
CONTACTS
I can be reached as tftp@yahoo.com.
INSTALLATION
See file INSTALL.
CONFIGURATION
TkPGP has its own configuration tool (button "Settings"). Configuration is automatically saved when you exit TkPGP. NOTE: If you don't use "Close" button but instead close the window from Window Manager or by kill'ing it, the configuration will NOT be saved. I consider this to be a useful feature (misbug).
TkPGP keeps its configuration in file called .tkpgp in your $HOME directory. You do not need to edit this file manually (unless you know Tcl and need to administer the system remotely).
RUNNING TkPGP
If you use GNOME or KDE, the TkPGP icon is in the main menu under "Applications".
If your shell understands #! comments and if you have 'wish' (Tcl/Tk shell) in /usr/bin then you can run TkPGP directly (assuming that /usr/local/bin is in your $PATH):
$ tkpgp
Otherwise find where your 'wish' binary is located and run as follows:
$ /very/strange/place/wish tkpgp
COMMAND LINE PARAMETERS AND OPTIONS
Only one command line parameter is supported - optional file name:
$ tkpgp foobar.txt
This file will be opened, read, its contents loaded into the integrated editor of TkPGP. Then user can edit the file as necessary, presumably perform some crypto procedures such as encryption, and then leave TkPGP (using button "Close"). The file will be saved with new contents. There may be a warning question asking for confirmation of that; this confirmation can be disabled in "Settings" | "Text".
This feature allows TkPGP to be configured as alternate editor for PINE and other mail user agents that support external editor. However Netscape does not allow that, so you still have to use clipboard to copy data back and forth if you use Netscape Messenger.
SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS
TkPGP does not save your PGP passphrase in any non-volatile storage. However it may be occasionally written into swap file. This exploit is very remotely possible but one would need root privileges on the system. In any case, if you are worried you can always disable the passphrase in TkPGP and rely upon PGP or GnuPG to secure your passphrase (they do it reasonably well). If you still feel insecure, probably your data should not be stored on computer in first place :)
TkPGP does not manage the passphrase when it is configured to work with GnuPG. This is because GnuPG uses and, actually, enforces quite secure passphrase interface. The Tcl language (which TkPGP is written in) has some difficulties accessing this interface. Therefore I can not feed the passphrase into GnuPG at the moment. This is to be done in future releases. At this time GnuPG has to be run in a shell (which is recommended for both PGP and GnuPG anyway), and user will enter passphrase directly into GnuPG when (and if) it is required. All passphrase-related features of TkPGP itself (such as timer) are deactivated in GnuPG mode.
LICENSING AND WARRANTY
This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details.
You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place - Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307, USA. You also can find a copy of the GNU General Public License on GNU Web site(s) such as http://www.gnu.org and its mirrors.
$Revision: 1.4 $