Added instructions to README

README.markdown

@@ -1,7 +1,54 @@
-Benchmark (and regression) suite for Clojure
-Copyright (c) Rich Hickey.
+## Getting Started
+### Requirements
+* JDK with java/javac on path - http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/index.html
+* maven - http://maven.apache.org/guides/getting-started/index.html
+* add the following to your ~/.m2/settings.xml file
+```xml
+<settings>
+	<activeProfiles>
+        <activeProfile>clojure-dev</activeProfile>
+	</activeProfiles>
 
-License and CA same as Clojure. See epl-v10.html at the root of the
-project for details.
+	<profiles>
+        <profile>
+            <id>clojure-dev</id>
+			<activation> <activeByDefault>false</activeByDefault> </activation>
+            <repositories>
+              <repository>
+                <id>clojars</id>
+                <url>http://clojars.org/repo/</url>
+              </repository>
+            </repositories>
+        </profile>
+        ...
+    </profiles>
+    ...
+</settings>
+```
+### Building
+```bash
+git clone git@github.com:clojure/test.benchmark.git
+cd test.benchmark
+mvn test
+```
+### Misc
+```bash
+# starts a swank server
+mvn clojure:swank
+```
+### Running a benchmark (e.g. alioth.thread-ring)
+```bash
+script/run alioth.thread-ring 1000
+```
+### Contributing
+There are a number of completed benchmarks, but there is a lot more left to do.
+Andy Fingerhut has a suit of benchmarks tailored for Clojure 1.2 and need updated or redone for Clojure 1.3 (https://github.com/jafingerhut/clojure-benchmarks).
 
+A good general approach is to examine the fastest alioth implementations, usually Java or C, and write a Clojure port.
+Idiomatic Clojure typically shows poorly in the benchmarks. Liberal use of primitive arrays, type hinting, and iteration apply.
 
+Long term goal is a performance regression test suit ...
+
+Alioth Benchmark site is here: http://shootout.alioth.debian.org/
+
+Work on the benchmarks is tracked here: http://dev.clojure.org/jira/browse/TBENCH