--- /dev/null	Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 1970 +0000
+++ b/README	Sun Feb 19 16:26:28 2012 -0500
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+Welcome to swallowtail!
+
+swallowtail is a bugtracking system meant to serve as a migration path
+for large GNATS installations. It was designed with the following
+assumptions:
+
+	- the database and its access tools are to be installed and
+	  operating on a project server somewhere such that project
+	  members have shell access and outsiders have web access;
+	- that project members do not need to be baby-sat;
+	- there is a large pre-existing bug database to be imported;
+	- the pre-existing database contains fields reflecting the
+	  hardcoded GNATS data semantics;
+	- hand-editing any substantial fraction of the database is
+	  impossible;
+	- incoming bug reports are submitted from a deployed base of
+	  legacy GNATS send-pr scripts that can be superseded in the
+	  wild only gradually;
+	- that there are relatively few preexisting database access
+	  tools, such that replacing them all is readily feasible;
+	- enabling sql-based access to support new and custom tools is
+	  more useful and of more interest than providing canned user
+	  interface features;
+	- the database is too large for manual search, but not
+	  necessarily too large for manual or manually-assisted
+	  indexing;
+	- that multiple types of semantic indexing will be required,
+	  and that tools should not have to treat each new index
+	  scheme as a fresh special case.
+
+It uses PostgreSQL for data storage. Other required software is as
+follows:
+
+	[TBD]
+