README.md: Improve 30 second overview

[code/vcsh.git] / README.md

diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index ab9e5f92a823368160c49ef473f944e1f99cdb41..78daeb265653304a680eb0ce078aa5914f1dfd83 100644 (file)
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -3,19 +3,45 @@ vcsh - Version Control System for $HOME (based on git)
 
 # Index #
 
 
 # Index #
 

-1. [30 second howto](#30-second-howto)
-2. [Contact](#contact)
-3. [Introduction](#introduction)
-4. [Overview](#overview)
-5. [Getting Started](#getting-started)
-6. [Usage](#usage)
+1. [Introduction](#introduction)
+2. [30 second howto](#30-second-howto)
+3. [Overview](#overview)
+4. [Getting Started](#getting-started)
+5. [Usage](#usage)
+6. [Contact](#contact)
+
+
+# Introduction #
+
+[vcsh][vcsh] allows you to maintain several git repositories in one single
+directory. They all maintain their working trees without clobbering each other
+or interfering otherwise. By default, all git repositories maintained via
+`vcsh` are stored in `$HOME` but you can override this setting if you want to.
+All this means that you can have one repository per application or application
+family, i.e. `zsh`, `vim`, `ssh`, etc. This, in turn, allows you to clone
+custom sets of configurations onto different machines or even for different
+users; picking and mixing which configurations you want to use where.
+For example, you may not need to have your `mplayer` configuration on a server
+or available to root and you may want to maintain different configuration for
+`ssh` on your personal and your work machines.
+
+`vcsh` was designed with [mr][mr], a tool to manage Multiple Repositories, in
+mind and the two integrate very nicely. `mr` has native support for `vcsh`
+repositories and to `vcsh`, `mr` is just another configuration to track.
+This make setting up any new machine a breeze. It takes literally less than
+five minutes to go from standard installation to fully set up system
+
+A lot of modern UNIX-based systems offer pacakges for `vcsh`. In case yours
+does not read `INSTALL.md` for install instructions or `PACKAGING.md` to create
+a package, yourself. If you do end up packaging `vcsh` please let us know so we
+can give you your own packaging branch in the upstream repository.

 
 
 # 30 second howto #
 
 While it may appear that there's an overwhelming amount of documentation and
 while the explanation of the concepts behind `vcsh` needs to touch a few gory
 
 
 # 30 second howto #
 
 While it may appear that there's an overwhelming amount of documentation and
 while the explanation of the concepts behind `vcsh` needs to touch a few gory

-details of `git` internals, getting started with vcsh is extremely simple.
+details of `git` internals, getting started with `vcsh` is extremely simple.

 
 Let's say you want to version control your `vim` configuration:
 
 
 Let's say you want to version control your `vim` configuration:
 


@@ -23,57 +49,17 @@ Let's say you want to version control your `vim` configuration:
     vcsh vim add ~/.vimrc ~/.vim
     vcsh vim commit -m 'Initial commit of my Vim configuration'
     # optionally push your files to a remote
     vcsh vim add ~/.vimrc ~/.vim
     vcsh vim commit -m 'Initial commit of my Vim configuration'
     # optionally push your files to a remote

-    vcsh vim remote add origin REMOTE
+    vcsh vim <remote> add origin REMOTE

     vcsh vim push origin master:master
 
 If all that looks a _lot_ like standard `git`, that's no coincidence; it's
 a design feature.
 
     vcsh vim push origin master:master
 
 If all that looks a _lot_ like standard `git`, that's no coincidence; it's
 a design feature.
 

-Once you get familiar with `vcsh`, it's strongly suggested that you look
-into more advanced usage scenarios, especially on how to manage your
-`vcsh` and other repositories with [mr][mr].
-
-
-# Contact #
-
-There are several ways to get in touch with the author and a small but committed
-community around the general idea of version controlling your (digital) life.
-
-* IRC: #vcs-home on irc.oftc.net
-
-* Mailing list: [http://lists.madduck.net/listinfo/vcs-home][vcs-home-list]
-
-* Pull requests or issues on [https://github.com/RichiH/vcsh][vcsh]
-
-
-# Introduction #
-
-[vcsh][vcsh] allows you to maintain several git repositories in one single
-directory. They all maintain their working trees without clobbering each other
-or interfering otherwise. By default, all git repositories maintained via
-`vcsh` are stored in <$HOME> but you can override this setting if you want to.
-All that means that you can have one repository per application or application
-family, i.e. `zsh`, `vim`, `ssh`, etc. This, in turn, allows you to clone
-custom sets of configurations onto different machines or even for different
-users; picking and mixing which configurations you want to use where.
-For example, you may not need to have your `mplayer` configuration on a server
-or available to root and you may want to maintain different configuration for
-`ssh` on your personal and your work machines.
-
-`vcsh` was designed with [mr][mr] in mind so you might want to install that, as
-well.
-
-Read <INSTALL.md> and <PACKAGING.md> for instructions specific to your operating
-system.
-
-The following overview will try to give you an idea of the use cases and
-advantages of `vcsh`. See sections 3 and 4 for detailed instructions and
-examples.

 
 ## Talks ##
 
 Some people found it useful to look at slides and videos explaining how `vcsh`
 
 ## Talks ##
 
 Some people found it useful to look at slides and videos explaining how `vcsh`

-works.
+works instead of working through the docs, first.

 They can all be found [on the author's talk page][talks].
 
 
 They can all be found [on the author's talk page][talks].
 
 


@@ -82,20 +68,20 @@ They can all be found [on the author's talk page][talks].
 ## Comparison to Other Solutions ##
 
 Most people who decide to put their dotfiles under version control start with a
 ## Comparison to Other Solutions ##
 
 Most people who decide to put their dotfiles under version control start with a

-single repository in <$HOME>, adding all their dotfiles (and possibly more)
+single repository in `$HOME`, adding all their dotfiles (and possibly more)

 to it. This works, of course, but can become a nuisance as soon as you try to
 manage more than one host.
 
 The next logical step is to create single-purpose repositories in, for example,
 to it. This works, of course, but can become a nuisance as soon as you try to
 manage more than one host.
 
 The next logical step is to create single-purpose repositories in, for example,

-<~/.dotfiles> and to create symbolic links into <$HOME>. This gives you the
+`~/.dotfiles` and to create symbolic links into `$HOME`. This gives you the

 flexibility to check out only certain repositories on different hosts. The
 downsides of this approach are the necessary manual steps of cloning and
 symlinking the individual repositories.
 
 `vcsh` takes this second approach one step further. It expects
 single-purpose repositories and stores them in a hidden directory (similar
 flexibility to check out only certain repositories on different hosts. The
 downsides of this approach are the necessary manual steps of cloning and
 symlinking the individual repositories.
 
 `vcsh` takes this second approach one step further. It expects
 single-purpose repositories and stores them in a hidden directory (similar

-to <~/.dotfiles>). However, it does not create symbolic links in <$HOME>; it
-puts the actual files right into <$HOME>.
+to `~/.dotfiles`). However, it does not create symbolic links in `$HOME`; it
+puts the actual files right into `$HOME`.

 
 Furthermore, by making use of [mr][mr], it makes it very easy to enable/disable
 and clone a large number of repositories. The use of `mr` is technically
 
 Furthermore, by making use of [mr][mr], it makes it very easy to enable/disable
 and clone a large number of repositories. The use of `mr` is technically


@@ -413,6 +399,18 @@ manually. Alternatively, you could try something like this:
     done
 
 
     done
 
 

+# Contact #
+
+There are several ways to get in touch with the author and a small but committed
+community around the general idea of version controlling your (digital) life.
+
+* IRC: #vcs-home on irc.oftc.net
+
+* Mailing list: [http://lists.madduck.net/listinfo/vcs-home][vcs-home-list]
+
+* Pull requests or issues on [https://github.com/RichiH/vcsh][vcsh]
+
+

 [mr]: http://kitenet.net/~joey/code/mr/
 [talks]: http://richardhartmann.de/talks/
 [vcsh]: https://github.com/RichiH/vcsh
 [mr]: http://kitenet.net/~joey/code/mr/
 [talks]: http://richardhartmann.de/talks/
 [vcsh]: https://github.com/RichiH/vcsh