[PATCH GnuPG 1/5] doc: Update documentation of compliance modes

Daniel Kahn Gillmor dkg at fifthhorseman.net
Wed Feb 5 00:46:04 CET 2025


* doc/gpg.texi (Compliance Options): --gnupg offers LibrePGP behavior,
and prefers LibrePGP where it diverges from OpenPGP; --rfc4880bis is
an alias for --gnupg; Explain that --rfc2440 is ancient; correct
punctuation.

--

Signed-off-by: Daniel Kahn Gillmor <dkg at fifthhorseman.net>
---
 doc/gpg.texi | 28 +++++++++++++---------------
 1 file changed, 13 insertions(+), 15 deletions(-)

diff --git a/doc/gpg.texi b/doc/gpg.texi
index 9a621c89b..ab475c085 100644
--- a/doc/gpg.texi
+++ b/doc/gpg.texi
@@ -3078,12 +3078,11 @@ options.
 
 @item --gnupg
 @opindex gnupg
-Use standard GnuPG behavior. This is essentially OpenPGP behavior (see
- at option{--openpgp}), but with extension from the proposed update to
-OpenPGP and with some additional workarounds for common compatibility
-problems in different versions of PGP.  This is the default option, so
-it is not generally needed, but it may be useful to override a
-different compliance option in the gpg.conf file.
+Use standard GnuPG behavior. This is now LibrePGP behavior, which is a
+different draft protocol that overlaps in some cases with
+OpenPGP. This is the default option, so it is not generally needed,
+but it may be useful to override a different compliance option in the
+gpg.conf file.
 
 @item --openpgp
 @opindex openpgp
@@ -3102,21 +3101,20 @@ Note that this is currently the same thing as @option{--openpgp}.
 
 @item --rfc4880bis
 @opindex rfc4880bis
-Reset all packet, cipher and digest options to strict according to the
-proposed updates of RFC-4880.
+This option is obsolete; it is handled as an alias for @option{--gnupg}.
 
 @item --rfc2440
 @opindex rfc2440
-Reset all packet, cipher and digest options to strict RFC-2440
-behavior.  Note that by using this option encryption packets are
-created in a legacy mode without MDC protection.  This is dangerous
-and should thus only be used for experiments.  This option implies
- at option{--allow-old-cipher-algos}.  See also option
- at option{--ignore-mdc-error}.
+Set all packet, cipher and digest options to strict RFC-2440 behavior.
+RFC-2440 is a very old version of OpenPGP.  Note that by using this
+option encryption packets are created in a legacy mode without MDC
+protection.  This is dangerous and should thus only be used for
+experiments.  This option implies @option{--allow-old-cipher-algos}.
+See also option @option{--ignore-mdc-error}.
 
 @item --pgp6
 @opindex pgp6
-This option is obsolete; it is handled as an alias for @option{--pgp7}
+This option is obsolete; it is handled as an alias for @option{--pgp7}.
 
 @item --pgp7
 @opindex pgp7
-- 
2.47.2




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