diff --git a/README.markdown b/README.markdown
new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/README.markdown
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+[![Build Status](https://secure.travis-ci.org/diagrams/diagrams.png)](http://travis-ci.org/diagrams/diagrams)
+
+[diagrams] is a full-featured framework and domain-specific langauge
+(embedded in [Haskell]) for creating declarative vector graphics and
+animations.
+
+[diagrams]: http://projects.haskell.org/diagrams/
+[haskell]: http://www.haskell.org/haskellwiki/Haskell
+
+This package is just *a convenient wrapper* around the
+[diagrams-core], [diagrams-lib], and [diagrams-contrib] packages, so
+they can be installed with a single `cabal install diagrams` command.
+
+[diagrams-core]: http://github.com/diagrams/diagrams-core
+[diagrams-lib]: http://github.com/diagrams/diagrams-lib
+[diagrams-contrib]: http://github.com/diagrams/diagrams-contrib
+
+The package also comes with flags to enable two different backends.
+The [native SVG backend](http://github.com/diagrams/diagrams-svg) is
+enabled by the `-fsvg` flag and is enabled by default.  If you don't
+want it, you must explicitly disable it with `-f-svg`.
+
+The [cairo/gtk backend](http://github.com/diagrams/diagrams-cairo) is
+disabled by default but can be selected with the `-fcairo` flag.
+
+# Installation
+
+```
+cabal update && cabal install diagrams
+```
+
+or, to get the cairo backend in addition to the SVG backend
+
+```
+cabal update && cabal install gtk2hs-buildtools && cabal install -fcairo diagrams
+```
+
+# Reporting bugs
+
+Issue trackers for all diagrams-related repositories are hosted under
+the [diagrams organization on github](http://github.com/diagrams).  If
+you know the specific package containing the bug, report it in the
+issue tracker specific to that package (for example,
+[diagrams-lib](http://github.com/diagrams/diagrams-lib/issues)).
+Otherwise, just report the issue in the issue tracker for the
+[general diagrams repository](http://github.com/diagrams/diagrams/issues).
+
+# Further reading
+
+For more information, including a gallery of examples, tutorial, and
+user manual, see the
+[diagrams website](http://projects.haskell.org/diagrams).  For help,
+join the `#diagrams` IRC channel on Freenode or the
+[mailing list](http://groups.google.com/group/diagrams-discuss).
diff --git a/diagrams.cabal b/diagrams.cabal
--- a/diagrams.cabal
+++ b/diagrams.cabal
@@ -1,20 +1,78 @@
 Name:                diagrams
-Version:             0.5
+Version:             0.6
 Synopsis:            Embedded domain-specific language for declarative vector graphics
-Description:         Diagrams is an embedded domain-specific langauge for
-                     declarative vector graphics.  This package is
-                     just a wrapper that depends on the diagrams-core,
-                     diagrams-lib, and diagrams-cairo packages.
+Description:         Diagrams is a full-featured framework and embedded domain-specific langauge for creating
+                     declarative vector graphics and animations.
+                     .
+                     This package is just a convenient wrapper
+                     around the @diagrams-core@, @diagrams-lib@ and
+                     @diagrams-contrib@ packages, so they can be
+                     installed with a single `cabal install diagrams`
+                     command.
+                     .
+                     The package also comes with flags to enable two
+                     different backends.
+                     A Haskell-native SVG
+                     backend (the @diagrams-svg@ package)
+                     can be selected with @-fsvg@. This
+                     flag is enabled by default, so if you do /not/
+                     want the SVG backend, you must explicitly
+                     disable it with @-f-svg@.  The SVG backend does not
+                     yet quite support all the features of the cairo
+                     backend: text alignment and embedded images are
+                     the two main missing features at this point, and
+                     of course it can only produce SVG images. It is,
+                     however, much easier to install, so it is the
+                     out-of-the-box default.
+                     .
+		     There is also a cairo backend (the
+                     @diagrams-cairo@ package) which can be selected
+                     with the @-fcairo@ flag. It is fully-featured and
+                     can produce PNG, PS, PDF, or SVG output; however,
+                     due to its dependencies it can be difficult to
+                     install on some platforms (notably OS X).
+                     .
+                     For more information, including a gallery of
+                     examples, tutorial, and user manual, see the
+                     diagrams website:
+                     <http://projects.haskell.org/diagrams>.  For
+                     help, join the @#diagrams@ IRC channel on
+                     Freenode or the mailing list:
+                     <http://groups.google.com/group/diagrams-discuss>.
 Homepage:            http://projects.haskell.org/diagrams
 License:             BSD3
 License-file:        LICENSE
 Author:              Brent Yorgey
-Maintainer:          byorgey@cis.upenn.edu
+Maintainer:          diagrams-discuss@googlegroups.com
+Bug-reports:         http://github.com/diagrams/diagrams/issues
 Category:            Graphics
 Build-type:          Simple
-Cabal-version:       >=1.2
+Cabal-version:       >=1.10
+Extra-source-files:  README.markdown
 
+Source-repository head
+  type:     git
+  location: git://github.com/diagrams/diagrams.git
+
+Flag cairo
+  Description: Enable the cairo backend
+  Default: False
+  Manual:  True
+
+Flag svg
+  Description: Enable the Haskell-native SVG backend
+  Default: True
+  Manual:  True
+
 Library
-  Build-depends:     diagrams-core >= 0.5 && < 0.6,
-                     diagrams-lib >= 0.5 && < 0.6,
-                     diagrams-cairo >= 0.5 && < 0.6
+  Build-depends:     diagrams-core >= 0.6 && < 0.7,
+                     diagrams-lib >= 0.6 && < 0.7,
+                     diagrams-contrib >= 0.6 && < 0.7
+
+  if flag(cairo)
+    Build-depends:   diagrams-cairo >= 0.6 && < 0.7
+
+  if flag(svg)
+    Build-depends:   diagrams-svg >= 0.6 && < 0.7
+
+  Default-language:  Haskell2010