for version 0.5

# Welcome to RoboJournal

## What is RoboJournal?

RoboJournal is a cross-platform, database-driven application that allows you to keep a journal/diary on your computer by means of an intuitive graphical user interface. RoboJournal is designed to run on a variety of operating systems, including Windows and practically any type of Linux.

Unlike similar computerized journal tools that store data as a file on your hard drive, RoboJournal stores all entry data "in the cloud" as a MySQL database. These journal databases can be accessed directly through the server machine, through another computer on the same LAN/WAN as the server, or even remotely via the Internet. For instance, you can run RoboJournal on your primary workstation while your journal database is stored on a server machine in the same building or even in another country. You can even store RoboJournal itself and your journal on the same computer and run RoboJournal in an entirely closed ecosystem.

## Current Limitations

At the moment, RoboJournal is not intended to be a high-security program. All journal data in the database is stored in an unencrypted state. RoboJournal already offers some nominal security; by means of account restrictions and a password, journals are protected from all other unauthorized users except the root-level database administrator (who has unconditional access to all MySQL databases on the server whether they were created by RoboJournal or not). This danger is minimal if you control the root account. If not, it is possible for other people to read your journal. This danger can be alleviated by storing your journal(s) on a private MySQL server that you control.

Future versions of RoboJournal will fortify security by offering support for on-the-fly encryption and decryption of journal content. Under this planned security model, all journal data is stored in an encrypted format and is decrypted into a readable state only when necessary. Not even the root user can unlock the journal content unless he or she has the correct password.

## Help Topics

Most RoboJournal software features have been documented. Consult the Table of Contents for a complete list of topics.

Copyright © 2014 by Will Kraft. All parts of the RoboJournal Documentation are subject to the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.