add README

1 files changed, 6 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/README b/README
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..ce67d6816
--- /dev/null
+++ b/README
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+git-annex allows managing files with git, without checking the file
+contents into git. While that may seem paradoxical, it is useful when
+dealing with files larger than git can currently easily handle, whether due
+to limitations in memory, checksumming time, or disk space.
+
+For documentation, see doc/ or <http://git-annex.branchable.com/>