From bf0dc0a6f58574c65d312a15769633c400efbe7e Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Richard Littauer <richard.littauer@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 12 May 2016 17:26:29 -0400
Subject: [PATCH] Started adding specification

---
 README.md | 111 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++--
 1 file changed, 107 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)

diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index fe9bf16..8471bf4 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,17 +1,56 @@
-# IPFS Readme Standard
+# Readme Standard
 
 [![](https://img.shields.io/badge/made%20by-Protocol%20Labs-blue.svg?style=flat-square)](http://ipn.io)
 [![](https://img.shields.io/badge/project-IPFS-blue.svg?style=flat-square)](http://ipfs.io/)
 [![](https://img.shields.io/badge/freenode-%23ipfs-blue.svg?style=flat-square)](http://webchat.freenode.net/?channels=%23ipfs)
 
-![](https://cdn.rawgit.com/jbenet/contribute-ipfs-gif/master/img/contribute.gif)
+> Standardize your Readmes
 
-> Standardize all IPFS Readme.md's and other markdown files
+This repo is for standardizing how READMEs should look. The goal is to have: 
+  - A well defined specification that other people could look to;
+  - An example README that can be used for comparison (this README.md is the example);
+  - A linter that can be used to look at errors in a given Readme;
+  - A generator that can be used to quickly scaffold out new READMEs.
 
-This repo is for standardizing how readmes should look for IPFS.
+There are many standards. This is mine. 
+
+** Table of Contents **
+
+- [Installation](#installation-1)
+- [Usage](#usage)
+- [Contribute](#contribute)
+- [Specification](#specification)
+  - [Requirements](#requirements)
+  - [Sections](#sections)
+    - [Name](#name)
+    - [one-line description](#one-line-description)
+    - [Table of Contents](#table-of-contents)
+    - [Usage Section](#usage-section)
+    - [API](#api)
+    - [Installation](#installation)
+    - [License](#license)
+  - [Suggestions](#suggestions)
+    - [Background section](#background-section)
+    - [Conventions](#conventions)
+- [License](#license-1)
+
+## Installation
+
+_Note: This is a placeholder, at the moment._
+
+This project uses [node][] and [npmjs][]. Go check them out if you don't have them locally installed.
+
+```sh
+npm i -g standard-readme
+```
+
+[node]: http://nodejs.org
+[npmjs]: https://npmjs.com
 
 ## Usage
 
+_Note: This is a placeholder, at the moment._
+
 The settings are stored in the `.remarkrc` file. Ideally, this file should be added to each repository where
 you plan to use `remark`. There are plans to enable a single `.remarkrc` to be used in multiple repos.
 
@@ -25,6 +64,70 @@ $ remark README.md -o README.md
 
 Feel free to dive in! Open an issue or submit PRs.
 
+## Specification
+
+### Requirements
+
+A compliant README must:
+  - Be called README.md (with capitalization).
+  - Be a valid Markdown file.
+
+### Sections
+
+#### Name
+**Status:** Optional.
+
+**Requirements:** 
+- Must be first section.
+- Must match repository name. If it cannot, there must be a note in the long description about why.
+- Must match package manager name. If it cannot, there must be a note in the long description about why.
+
+**Suggestions:** 
+- Should be self-evident. 
+
+#### Banner
+**Status:** Optional.  
+**Requirements:**
+- Must link to local image in current repository.
+- Must appear directly after the title.
+
+#### Badges
+**Requirements:**
+- If present, must start on third line.
+- Must be newline delimited.
+
+#### one-line description
+Requirements: 120 char or less.
+
+#### Table of Contents
+Requirements: There must be a Table of Contents that links to the 
+
+#### Usage Section
+Suggestions: Cover promises/callbacks, ES6 here.
+
+#### API
+Requirements: Describe internal objects and functions, signatures, return types, callbacks, and events. Types covered where not obvious. Caveats.
+
+#### Installation
+Requirements: Installation command.
+Suggestions: Link to prerequisite sites for language. [npmjs][], [godocs][], etc.
+
+#### License
+Requirements: State License.
+Suggestions: Link to longer License file.
+
+### Suggestions
+
+#### Background section
+Requirements: Motivation, abstract dependencies
+
+#### Conventions
+cb for callback
+num for Number
+int for Integer
+bool for Boolean
+etc.
+
 ## License
 
 MIT (c) Protocol Labs