---
title: >-
    README
---
[pre alpha documentation (mostly a wish list)](docs/index.htm)

[copyright © and license](./license.txt)

pre-requisite, Pandoc to build the html documentation from the markdown files.

Windows pre-requisites:  Visual Studio and git-bash

To obtain the source code from which the project can be built, including
this README, from the bash command line (git-bash in windows).

```bash2
git clone --recurse-submodules missing url
```

To configure and build the required third party libraries in windows, then
build the program and run unit test for the first time, launch the Visual
Studio X64 native tools command prompt in the cloned directory, then:

```bat
winConfigure.bat
```

Should the libraries change in a subsequent `pull `  you will need

```bat
pull -f --recurse-submodules
winConfigure.bat
```

[cryptographic software is under attack]:./docs/contributor_code_of_conduct.html#code-will-be-cryptographically-signed
"Contributor Code of Conduct"
{target="_blank"}

winConfigure.bat also configures the repository you just created to use
`.gitconfig` in the repository, causing git to to implement GPG signed
commits -- because [cryptographic software is under attack] from NSA
entryists, and shills, who seek to introduce backdoors.

This may be inconvenient if you do not have `gpg` installed and set up.

`.gitconfig` adds several git aliases:

1. `git lg` to display the gpg trust information for the last four commits.
   For this to be useful you need to import the repository public key
   `public_key.gpg` into gpg, and locally sign that key.
1. `git fixws` to standardise white space to the project standards
1. `git graph` to graph the commit tree
1. `git alias` to display the git aliases.

```bash
# To verify that the signature on future pulls is unchanged.
gpg --import  public_key.gpg
gpg --lsign 096EAE16FB8D62E75D243199BC4482E49673711C
# We ignore the Gpg Web of Trust model and instead use
# the Zooko identity model.
# We use Gpg signatures to verify that remote repository
# code is coming from an unchanging entity, not for
# Gpg Web of Trust.  Web of Trust is too complicated
# and too user hostile to be workable or safe.
# Never --sign any Gpg key related to this project.  --lsign it.
# Never check any Gpg key related to this project against a
# public gpg key repository. It should not be there.
# Never use any email address on a gpg key related to this project
# unless it is only used for project purposes, or a fake email,
# or the email of an enemy.
```

To build the documentation in its intended html form from the markdown
files, execute the bash script file `docs/mkdocs.sh`, in an environment where
`pandoc` is available. On Windows, if Git Bash and Pandoc has been
installed, you should be able to run a shell file in bash by double clicking on it.

[Pre alpha release](./RELEASE_NOTES.html), which means it does not yet work even well enough for
it to be apparent what it would do if it did work.