README for the Magic Notebook

LEGAL

    For the duration of this copyright statement, 'this software',
    'the Magic Notebook', 'Magic Notebook', 'MagicNotebook',
    'Sidebar in a Can', 'Sidebar', 'sidebar', 'Snippets', and 'snippets' are
    taken to mean all files distributed with this product, and the
    arrangement and other original work related to this product.

    License

		This software is copyright 2001-3 by Jonathan Hayward,
		and licensed to you under the your choice of the original
        Artistic License, which should be present in the file
        artistic.txt, the General Public License version 2.0,
        which should be present in the file gpl.txt, and the
        Massachusetts Institute of Technology License, which should
        be present in the file mit.txt.

    Warrantee

        Jonathan Hayward makes no warranties, express or implied,
        regarding this software.  In no event shall Jonathan Hayward
        be liable for any consequential, special, incidental, or
        indirect damages of any kind arising out of the license
        of, use of, or inability to use any software or product
        covered under this license, even if Jonathan Hayward
        has been advised of the possibility of such damages.
        This limitation of liability and risks is reflected in the
        price of this software.

PURPOSE

    The Magic Notebook adapts Sidebar in a Can/Snippets technology to allow
    visitors to store an organized, easily editable set of notes useful for
    everything from to do lists to recipes.

INSTALLATION AND SETUP

    Basics

        The setup procedure is slightly different depending on
        whether you want to install a new copy of Magic Notebook, or
        upgrade an existing one.

            * If you have not installed Magic Notebook before, run
              "./install" and answer the questions provided.  This will run
              a simplified Unix install script and should create
              a working, out-of-the-box installation when supplied
              appropriate values.

            * See USAGE below if you need help using Magic Notebook.

            * The install script is not meant to fully customize Magic
              Notebook, only to get it running.  See Customization below for
              further information on how to adjust Snippets to meet your needs.

            * Security-conscious administrators should read Security
              below.

        Customization

            The configuration file at
            /usr/lib/MagicNotebook/general/config is
            well-commented and can be adjusted to control how the script
            works.

            /usr/lib/MagicNotebook/general/logout is
            displayed when a person logs out, and may be customized to your
            needs.

            The account root@inner-sanctum.jonathanscorner.com
            initially given password
            change_me_7635 is a special
            account in that it has a page of administrative controls. 
            Many of these controls should explain themselves, but there
            are some non-obvious ways to use them.

            The beginning and ending of a page are read from
            /usr/lib/MagicNotebook/general/header and
            /usr/lib/MagicNotebook/general/footer
            respectively.  Editing those files provides a powerful way to
            customize the script.

            The images used for buttons and for backgrounds are found in
            <the public $programMode HTML directory> and may be replaced with
            images tailored to your site's needs.

        Security

            The present release of Magic Notebook has not been closely
            scrutinized for security, and should be treated as such by
            security-conscious administrators.  If you examine the code
            and discover a vulnerability that could compromise the server,
            please contact the author at jonathan.hayward@pobox.com.  The
			script is intended to have light security and not to compromise a
			server, but it is not intended to store credit card numbers or
			other
            sensitive information.

            The default installation sets
            /usr/lib/MagicNotebook and contents
            to mode 777.  Administrators are encouraged to set
            directory and contents to mode 700, owned by the
            effective user ID that CGI scripts will be running under. This
			is usually apache or nobody.

USAGE

    Magic Notebook is designed to be run as a straightforward web
    application, with much administrative activity performed on-web.
    Rather than trying to explain how to use it, I simply encourage you
    to explore.

NOTES

    Payment

        Magic Notebook is linkware. It is available to you free of charge.
        If you like it, I would be very happy if you would visit
        http://JonathansCorner.com and consider linking to it.

    Bugs

        For security-related concerns, see Security above.

    Contact

        The author can be contacted at jonathan.hayward@pobox.com, and
		maintains a website at http://JonathansCorner.com. The current version
		of Magic Notebook may be obtained from
        http://JonathansCorner.com/etc/MagicNotebook/.