README file n.
Hacker's-eye introduction traditionally included in the
top-level directory of a Unix source distribution, containing a
pointer to more detailed documentation, credits, miscellaneous
revision history, notes, etc. (The file may be named README, or
READ.ME, or rarely ReadMe or readme.txt or some other variant.)
In the Mac and PC worlds, software is not usually distributed in
source form, and the README is more likely to contain
user-oriented material like last-minute documentation changes,
error workarounds, and restrictions. When asked, hackers
invariably relate the README convention to the famous scene in
Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures In Wonderland" in which Alice
confronts magic munchies labeled "Eat Me" and "Drink Me".