diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 42a523a15..c53ce57c7 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -2,97 +2,109 @@
This is CodaLab. It goes to eleven. Just not yet.
-## get it working locally
+## Local Installation
-This is all Python. It works on Windows, Linux, Mac and BSD most of the time. You need two things to start. Well, three things if you count the computer. You need to have Python 2.7.x installed and a version of pip >= 1.3.
+This is all Python. It works on Windows, Linux, Mac and BSD most of the time.
-#### *nixes
+### Installing Python
-For current Debian-based Linux distributions , BSD and Mac Python 2.7 is usually installed. However... Redhat-based Linux distributions, such as RHEL and CentOS, sometimes behind the curve and do not have python 2.7. As of this writing, CentOS 6.4 is at Python 2.6, which is well on its way to EOL. Python 2.6 may work, but code will be written with 2.7 and 3.3+ in mind.
+In this section, we will walk you through installing Python 2.7.x and a version
+of pip >= 1.3 (for installing Python packages). You can skip this section if
+you already meet these requirements.
-#### *dows
+#### Linux
-For Windows you can install Python from here (be sure to select the correct one for you architecture):
+For current Debian-based Linux distributions, BSD and Mac Python 2.7 is usually
+installed. However... Redhat-based Linux distributions, such as RHEL and
+CentOS, sometimes behind the curve and do not have Python 2.7. As of this
+writing, CentOS 6.4 is at Python 2.6, which is well on its way to EOL. Python
+2.6 may work, but code will be written with 2.7 and 3.3+ in mind.
- http://www.python.org/download/releases/2.7.5/
+#### Windows
+
+For Windows you can install Python from here (be sure to select the correct one
+for you architecture):
+
+ http://www.python.org/download/releases/2.7.5/
To Install Pip you should install distribute. Download the following URL:
- http://python-distribute.org/distribute_setup.py
+ http://python-distribute.org/distribute_setup.py
Run it from a shell from the directory into where it was downloaded:
-```
-python distribute_setup.py
-```
+ python distribute_setup.py
Or, execute it from Explorer if file associations were setup.
You can then execute from a command-line:
-```
-easy_install pip
-```
+ easy_install pip
-Note that 'easy_install.exe' will be located in the Scripts directory of your Python installation. You may find it easier to add the Scripts folder to your environment's PATH variable.
+Note that 'easy\_install.exe' will be located in the Scripts directory of your
+Python installation. You may find it easier to add the Scripts folder to your
+environment's PATH variable.
-If this seems like a lot of steps, it is. There are a couple of ways to do it, but it is assumed that if you read this far you are a developer of some sort, have some experience navigating a shell of some sort and/or have an awareness of the idiosyncratic nature of the platform(s) you employ in you personal and professional endeavors.
+If this seems like a lot of steps, it is. There are a couple of ways to do it,
+but it is assumed that if you read this far you are a developer of some sort,
+have some experience navigating a shell of some sort and/or have an awareness
+of the idiosyncratic nature of the platform(s) you employ in you personal and
+professional endeavors.
-### Virtual Environments
+### virtualenv
-From here you need to have the source checked-out/cloned. If you don't have a local copy and you are reading this then you have come to the right place. Only a few clicks will get you where you need to be.
+First, we will install virtualenv, which allows us to create a virtual
+environment to keep the CodaLab packages separate from the rest of your system:
-Assuming that you have a copy, you will need to install the other requirements. It is best to work in a virtualenv. It is even better to install virtualenvwrapper:
+ pip install virtualenv
-```
-pip install virtualenv
-```
+Optionally, you can also install virtualenvwrapper if you want:
-For the *nix crowd (and I am also looking at you Mac folks), you will install (probably with sudo):
+ pip install virtualenvwrapper
-```
-pip install virtualenvwrapper
-```
+See [documentation here](http://virtualenvwrapper.readthedocs.org/en/latest).
-See http://virtualenvwrapper.readthedocs.org/en/latest/
+On Windows, you can install from the Windows PowerShell command-line:
-The *dows contigent can install from the Windows PowerShell command-line shell:
+ pip install virtualenvwrapper-powershell
+ $env:WORKON_HOME="~/Envs"
+ mkdir $env:WORKON_HOME
+ import-module virtualenvwrapper
-```
-pip install virtualenvwrapper-powershell
-$env:WORKON_HOME="~/Envs"
-mkdir $env:WORKON_HOME
-import-module virtualenvwrapper
-```
+See [here](http://docs.python-guide.org/en/latest/dev/virtualenvs.html) and
+[here](http://virtualenvwrapper.readthedocs.org/en/latest/install.html).
-See http://docs.python-guide.org/en/latest/dev/virtualenvs.html
-and http://virtualenvwrapper.readthedocs.org/en/latest/install.html
+### Creating a virtual environment
-### Actual Development
+You can run a single command to install everything you need:
-With all the tooling in place, you can create a virtual environment into which packages can be installed and be kept separate from what is installed on the system, globally.
+ ./bootstrap
-```
-mkvirtualenv MyEnv
-```
+Or you can follow the following steps if you want to walk through the details.
+First create the virtual environment:
-It should create it and activate the environment. The shell prompt should indicate it, but if it doesn't you should be able to examine the value of the environment variable $VIRTUAL_ENV which should indicate the directory which is the root of the virtual environment.
+ virtualenv venv
-Then, assuming the code is checked out:
+This should create a directory venv
To activate the environment:
-```
-pip install -r codalab/requirements/dev.txt
-```
+ source ./venv/bin/activate
-Which will install the dependences for a dev environment.
+The shell prompt should change to have a (venv)
prefix. To
+install all the packages required for CodaLab, run:
+ pip install -r codalab/requirements/dev.txt
-Then:
+### Running CodaLab
-```
-cd codalab
-python manage.py syncdb
-python manage.py runserver
-```
+Now that everything is installed, you can start the CodaLab site:
+
+ cd codalab
+ python manage.py syncdb
+ python manage.py runserver
-If syncdb fails it will provide an error. If certain python packages and/or Django apps and modules are not installed it will indicate what it cannot find. This usually means that the requirements have not been installed.
+If syncdb fails it will provide an error. If certain Python packages and/or
+Django apps and modules are not installed it will indicate what it cannot find.
+This usually means that the requirements have not been installed.
+
+You should be able to go to [http://127.0.0.1:8000](http://127.0.0.1:8000) to
+access your local copy of the website.