--- a/README.txt	Wed Feb 29 16:15:31 2012 -0800
+++ b/README.txt	Wed Feb 29 16:38:39 2012 -0800
@@ -3,9 +3,58 @@
 
 a simple static fileserver and directory index server in python (WSGI app)
 
+About
+-----
+
+Often for testing you will want a static fileserver and directory
+index as part of your WSGI stack.  In addition, you may have
+requirements to run such as part of a production WSGI
+stack. FileServer fits these needs.
+
+Motivation
+----------
+
+I needed a directory index server a la Apache to test a PyPI clone I
+was using.  After surveying what was out there, there didn't seem
+anything out there that was easily consumable for my purposes.  So I
+wrote one only depending on
+`webob <http://www.webob.org/>`_ .
+
+Contents
+--------
+
+``from fileserver import *`` should give you access to all of the
+usable components of fileserver:
+
+ * ``file_response``: return a webob response object appropriate to a
+   file name
+ * ``FileApp``: WSGI app that wraps ``file_response``
+ * ``Directory Server``: serves a directory tree and generated indices
+ * ``main``: command line entry point
+
+``FileApp`` and ``file_response`` are heavily borrowed from
+http://docs.webob.org/en/latest/file-example.html though the example
+there is more complete.  I will work on making this more thorough
+going forward.
+
+In addition there is a command line script, ``serve``, which may be
+used to serve a directory with the
+`wsgiref <http://docs.python.org/library/wsgiref.html>`_ server.
+
+Other Projects
+--------------
+
+While I didn't find them suitable for my use, there are other
+standalone static fileservers available for python:
+
+ * `Cling <http://lukearno.com/projects/static/>`_
+
+ * `Paste <http://pythonpaste.org/modules/urlparser.html>`_ ``StaticURLParser``
+
+ * `SimpleHTTPServer <http://docs.python.org/library/simplehttpserver.html>`_
+
 ----
 
 Jeff Hammel
 
 http://k0s.org/hg/FileServer
-