converts the project README to Markdown

We tend to use Markdown for everything but the API, the
README is no longer used as the home page of the API
after 7a5aa72, so we can now migrate it.

1 files changed, 78 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
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+## Welcome to Rails
+
+Rails is a web-application framework that includes everything needed to
+create database-backed web applications according to the
+[Model-View-Controller (MVC)](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Model%E2%80%93view%E2%80%93controller)
+pattern.
+
+Understanding the MVC pattern is key to understanding Rails. MVC divides your
+application into three layers, each with a specific responsibility.
+
+The _View layer_ is composed of "templates" that are responsible for providing
+appropriate representations of your application's resources. Templates can
+come in a variety of formats, but most view templates are HTML with embedded
+Ruby code (ERB files).
+
+The _Model layer_ represents your domain model (such as Account, Product,
+Person, Post, etc.) and encapsulates the business logic that is specific to
+your application. In Rails, database-backed model classes are derived from
+`ActiveRecord::Base`. Active Record allows you to present the data from
+database rows as objects and embellish these data objects with business logic
+methods. Although most Rails models are backed by a database, models can also
+be ordinary Ruby classes, or Ruby classes that implement a set of interfaces
+as provided by the Active Model module. You can read more about Active Record
+in its [README](link:/activerecord/README.rdoc).
+
+The _Controller layer_ is responsible for handling incoming HTTP requests and
+providing a suitable response. Usually this means returning HTML, but Rails
+controllers can also generate XML, JSON, PDFs, mobile-specific views, and
+more. Controllers manipulate models and render view templates in order to
+generate the appropriate HTTP response.
+
+In Rails, the Controller and View layers are handled together by Action Pack.
+These two layers are bundled in a single package due to their heavy interdependence.
+This is unlike the relationship between Active Record and Action Pack, which are
+independent. Each of these packages can be used independently outside of Rails. You
+can read more about Action Pack in its [README](link:/actionpack/README.rdoc).
+
+## Getting Started
+
+1. Install Rails at the command prompt if you haven't yet:
+
+        gem install rails
+
+2. At the command prompt, create a new Rails application:
+
+        rails new myapp
+
+   where "myapp" is the application name.
+
+3. Change directory to `myapp` and start the web server:
+
+        cd myapp
+        rails server
+
+   Run with `--help` or `-h` for options.
+
+4. Go to http://localhost:3000 and you'll see: "Welcome aboard: You're riding Ruby on Rails!"
+
+5. Follow the guidelines to start developing your application. You may find
+   the following resources handy:
+    * [Getting Started with Rails](http://guides.rubyonrails.org/getting_started.html).
+    * [Ruby on Rails Guides](http://guides.rubyonrails.org).
+    * [The API Documentation](http://api.rubyonrails.org).
+    * [Ruby on Rails Tutorial](http://ruby.railstutorial.org/ruby-on-rails-tutorial-book).
+
+## Contributing
+
+We encourage you to contribute to Ruby on Rails! Please check out the
+[Contributing to Ruby on Rails guide](http://edgeguides.rubyonrails.org/contributing_to_ruby_on_rails.html) for guidelines about how to proceed. [Join us!](http://contributors.rubyonrails.org)
+
+## Code Status
+
+* [![Build Status](https://secure.travis-ci.org/rails/rails.png)](http://travis-ci.org/rails/rails)
+* [![Dependencies](https://gemnasium.com/rails/rails.png?travis)](https://gemnasium.com/rails/rails)
+
+## License
+
+Ruby on Rails is released under the [MIT License](http://www.opensource.org/licenses/MIT).