diff --git a/readme.txt b/readme.md
similarity index 66%
rename from readme.txt
rename to readme.md
index 06d7240074..1bbc88d2fe 100644
--- a/readme.txt
+++ b/readme.md
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
-OpenLayers
--=-=-=-=-=-
+# OpenLayers
 
 Copyright (c) 2005-2011 OpenLayers Contributors. See authors.txt for
 more details.
@@ -8,28 +7,21 @@ OpenLayers is a JavaScript library for building map applications
 on the web. OpenLayers is made available under a BSD-license.
 Please see license.txt in this distribution for more details.
 
-------------------
-Getting OpenLayers
-------------------
+## Getting OpenLayers
 
-OpenLayers lives at http://www.openlayers.org/.
+OpenLayers lives at http://www.openlayers.org/.  Find details on downloading stable releases or the development version the [development site](http://trac.osgeo.org/openlayers/wiki/HowToDownload.)
 
-You can get OpenLayers from
-    http://trac.openlayers.org/wiki/HowToDownload.
-
----------------------
-Installing OpenLayers
----------------------
+## Installing OpenLayers
 
 You can use OpenLayers as-is by copying build/OpenLayers.js and the
-entire theme/ and img/ directories up to your webserver, putting them 
+entire theme/ and img/ directories up to your webserver and putting them 
 in the same directory. The files can be in subdirectories on your website, 
 or right in the root of the site, as in these examples. 
 To include the OpenLayers library in your web page from the root of the site, use:
 
-  <script type="text/javascript" src="/OpenLayers.js" />
+    <script type="text/javascript" src="/OpenLayers.js" />
 
-As an example, using bash (with the release files in ~/openlayers ):
+As an example, using bash (with the release files in ~/openlayers):
 
     $ cd /var/www/html
     $ cp ~/openlayers/OpenLayers.js ./
@@ -43,7 +35,7 @@ the following to your web page instead:
 
     <script type="text/javascript" src="/lib/OpenLayers.js" />
 
-As an example, using bash (with the release files in ~/openlayers ):
+As an example, using bash (with the release files in ~/openlayers):
 
     $ cd /var/www/html
     $ cp -R ~/openlayers/lib ./
@@ -51,26 +43,21 @@ As an example, using bash (with the release files in ~/openlayers ):
     $ cp -R ~/openlayers/img ./
 
 
-------------------------------------
-Using OpenLayers in Your Own Website
-------------------------------------
+## Using OpenLayers in Your Own Website
 
-The examples/ directory is full of useful examples.
+The [examples directory](http://openlayers.org/dev/examples/) is full of useful examples.
 
-Documentation is available at http://trac.openlayers.org/wiki/Documentation.
+Documentation is available at http://trac.osgeo.org/openlayers/wiki/Documentation.
 You can generate the API documentation with http://www.naturaldocs.org/:
-As an example, using bash (with the release files in ~/openlayers ):
+As an example, using bash (with the release files in ~/openlayers):
 
     $ cd ~/openlayers/
     $ /path/to/NaturalDocs -i lib/ -o HTML doc/ -p doc_config/ -s Default OL
 
-Information on changes in the API is available in news.txt.
+Information on changes in the API is available in release notes found in the notes folder.
 
---------------------------
-Contributing to OpenLayers
---------------------------
+## Contributing to OpenLayers
 
 Please join the email lists at http://openlayers.org/mailman/listinfo
 Patches are welcome!
 
-= 30 =