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 [![Build Status](https://travis-ci.org/ibnfirnas/hope.svg?branch=master)](https://travis-ci.org/ibnfirnas/hope)
 
-HOPE: Higher Order Programming in Erlang
-========================================
+Higher Order Programming in Erlang
+==================================
+
+A quest for a "standard" library with uniform, composable abstractions.
+
+
+Monads
+------
+
+Defined in `hope_gen_monad`, implemented as:
+
+- `hope_result`: for composition of common functions returning
+  `{ok, Val} | {error, Reason}`. An alternative to exceptions, which makes the
+  error conditions apparent in the spec/signature. Analogous to Haskell's
+  `Data.Either a b`, Jane Street Core's (OCaml) `('a, 'b) Result.t`, Rust's
+  `Result<T, E>`
+- `hope_option`: for expressing and composing the intention that the value may
+  or may not be available. An alternative to the common `undefined` (which is
+  equivalent to the dreaded `null`). Analogous to ML's (SML, OCaml, etc)
+  `'a Option.t`, Rust's `Option<T>` and Haskell's `Data.Maybe a` [1].
+
+
+Containers
+----------
+
+### Dictionary
+
+Defined in `hope_gen_dictionary`, implemented as:
+
+- `hope_kv_list`. Equivalent to orddict/proplist. Operations implemented with
+  BIFs from `lists` module, where possible
+
+
+[1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Option_type