0
@@ -1,24 +1,48 @@
0
-= Halcyon JSON Application Framework
0
+= Halcyon
0
+== JSON Application Framework
0
 
0
 A JSON Web Application Framework for developing lightweight applications
0
 interfaced via JSON-encoded HTTP requests. This is ideal for back end
0
 applications serving functionality for other applications.
0
 
0
+Halcyon consists of two parts, the server application and the client. The
0
+server application is similar to a Merb or Rails app, without the need for
0
+implementing views, and the client is used to facilitate talking to the
0
+application from other applications.
0
+
0
+
0
 == On Rack
0
 
0
-Halcyon is based off of Rack. Rejoice, Rack is amazing.
0
+Halcyon is a Rack application, meaning that it can sit right along with any
0
+other Rack app, such as a Merb or Rails app, and can be manipulated by any
0
+kind of Rack middleware/filter. This means that interfacing with Halcyon in
0
+unconventional ways is trivial since the Rack specification makes communicating
0
+with Rack apps dead simple.
0
 
0
+
0
 == Development
0
 
0
-Halcyon is currently undergoing major refactoring and restructuring. The API is
0
-subject to change up until the official 0.5.0 release.
0
+Halcyon is actively being developed by a very small community of developers and
0
+contributors. Halcyon has seen a good deal of paradigm shift up until the 0.5.0
0
+release, but with that release its internal API has stabilized and should
0
+remain fairly backwards compatible from here on.
0
 
0
+The changes made on the way to the 0.5.0 codebase were to remove all of the
0
+server-like code to make Halcyon more application-centric and also to model
0
+application development and structure to be more Rails- or Merb-like, though
0
+this was just the natural evolution of Halcyon's design.
0
+
0
+
0
 == Installation
0
 
0
 A Gem of Halcyon is available.  You can install it with:
0
 
0
   $ sudo gem install halcyon
0
 
0
+The latest development release can be installed with RubyGems:
0
+
0
+  $ sudo gem install halcyon --source http://halcyon.rubyforge.org/latest/
0
+
0
 Alternatively, you can install the latest development efforts from the git
0
 repository, located at http://github.com/mtodd/halcyon:
0
 
0
0
0
@@ -29,11 +53,28 @@
0
 
0
   $ sudo gem install json
0
 
0
+More in depth documentation can be found at
0
+http://halcyon.rubyforge.org/docs/installation.html.
0
+
0
+
0
 == Usage
0
 
0
-Usage instructions will be updated when the application generation code is
0
-completed.
0
+After installing a Halcyon app, you can generate a new app, similar to the
0
+<tt>rails</tt> or <tt>merb-gen app</tt> commands, with this:
0
 
0
+  $ halcyon init app_name
0
+
0
+This will create a directory and generate a skeletal Halcyon application. You
0
+can run this application without changing anything; here's how:
0
+
0
+  $ cd app_name
0
+  $ halcyon start -p 4647
0
+
0
+A great tutorial to dive right into using Halcyon and writing apps is located
0
+at http://halcyon.rubyforge.org/docs/tutorial.html. This will step you through
0
+what to do, what to expect, and what it means.
0
+
0
+
0
 == Contact
0
 
0
 Please mail bugs, suggestions and patches to <mailto:chiology@gmail.com>.
0
@@ -44,6 +85,7 @@
0
 http://halcyon.rubyforge.org/. On there you will find information about our
0
 mailing list as well, so do stop by.
0
 
0
+
0
 == Thanks To
0
 
0
 * Bill Marquette, typo correction, reviewing examples
0
0
@@ -52,12 +94,14 @@
0
 * Ben Simpson, PHP Client bug fixes
0
 * Eivind Uggedal, dependencies for Router support of resources
0
 
0
+
0
 == Links
0
 
0
 Halcyon:: <http://halcyon.rubyforge.org/>
0
 Aurora:: <http://aurora.rubyforge.org/>
0
 
0
 Rack:: <http://rack.rubyforge.org/>
0
+Merb:: <http://merbivore.com/>
0
 JSON:: <http://json.rubyforge.org/>
0
 
0
 Matt Todd:: <http://maraby.org/>