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--- a/README.md
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@@ -1,3 +1,10 @@
-# libpEpDatatypes
+# libpEpDatatypes – A C++ wrapper for the basic C datatypes defined by the pEpEngine.
 
-A C++ wrapper for the basic C datatypes defined by the pEpEngine.
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+## Design goals & principles
+
+* implement move c'tor & operator for cheep moves
+* _Qpen question_: deep copy / shallow copy (with ref couning?) / only explicit copy?
+* always initialize all members. Better safe than sorry.
+* Ownership of the member pointees: rule of thumb: "const" pointees are non-owned, non-const pointees are owned by the data structure. Exceptional cases are documented explicitly.
+
+## API
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