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@@ -1,2 +1,24 @@
-# compat
+# Boost.Compat
 C++11 implementations of standard components added in later C++ standards
+
+Boost.Compat is a repository of C++11 implementations
+of standard components added in later C++ standards. Its
+target audience is Boost library authors whose libraries
+support a lower C++ standard, but wish to utilize a component
+added in a subsequent one.
+
+The criteria for inclusion in Boost.Compat are as follows:
+
+* The implementation should be relatively simple and
+  header-only.
+* The component must implement the standard functionality
+  exactly, without deviations or extensions. This allows
+  (but does not require) the implementation to be a simple
+  `using` declaration in case the standard component is
+  available.
+* The component must not depend on any Boost libraries
+  except Boost.Config, Boost.Assert, or Boost.ThrowException.
+* The component must not be a vocabulary type, visible in
+  the library APIs. The user should never see a `boost::compat`
+  type; the use of Compat types should be confined to library
+  implementations.