--- a
+++ b/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+# Recoll
+
+Recoll is a desktop full-text search tool. It finds keywords inside
+documents as well as file names. 
+
+* Versions are available for Linux and MS Windows.
+* A WEB front-end with preview and download features can replace or
+  supplement the GUI for remote use. 
+* It can search most document formats. You may need external applications
+  for text extraction. 
+* It can reach any storage place: files, archive members, email
+  attachments, transparently handling decompression. 
+* One click will open the document inside a native editor or display an
+  even quicker text preview. 
+* The software is free, open source, and licensed under the GPL.
+
+For more detail, see the [features page on the web site](http://www.recoll.org/features.html) or the [online documentation](http://www.recoll.org/doc.html).
+
+Most distributions feature prebuilt packages for Recoll, but if you need them, [the instructions for building and
+installing are here](http://www.recoll.org/usermanual/webhelp/docs/RCL.INSTALL.BUILDING.html).