<section id="introduction">
    <title>Introduction to Apache Rivet</title>
    <para>
      Apache Rivet is a system for creating dynamic web content via a
      programming language integrated with Apache Web Server.  It is
      designed to be fast, powerful and extensible, consume few system
      resources, be easy to learn, and to provide the user with a
      platform that can also be used for other programming tasks
      outside the web (GUI's, system administration tasks, text
      processing, database manipulation, XML, and so on).  In order to
      meet these goals, we have chosen the Tcl programming language to
      combine with the Apache Web Server.
    </para>

    <para>
      In this manual, we aim to help get you started, and then
      writing productive code as quickly as possible, as well as
      giving you ideas on how to best take advantage of Rivet's
      architecture to create different styles of web site.
    </para>

    <para>
        This documentation is focused on the current version of Rivet, but
        still a work in progress, and, like everything
        else about Apache Rivet, it is Free Software.  If you see
        something that needs improving, and have ideas or suggestions,
        don't hesitate to let us know.  If you want to contribute
        directly, better yet!
    </para>
    <simplesect>
        <title>Acknowledgements</title>
        <para>
            Rivet 2.1.0 comes with relevant contributions provided by 
            <emphasis>Harald Oehlmann</emphasis> (page RivetEntitites, 
            new command ::rivet::http_accept and bugfixes), 
            <emphasis>Cyril Shtumf</emphasis> (important bugfixes) and
            <emphasis>Jeff Lawson</emphasis> (who introduced the 
            shorthand syntax for string output)
        </para>
    </simplesect>
</section>
