docs: rewrite README to match the actual library#18
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The previous README was a project-setup placeholder ("coming soon",
empty checklist, "Like Istio for the frontend"). It hadn't tracked
reality since v1 landed.
New README covers:
- One-paragraph "what it solves" framed around the concrete cross-tab
pain (one WS instead of N, durable outbox, logout flow).
- Quickstart with a minimal example and a React snippet.
- Architecture diagram + brief mode summary (SharedWorker primary,
elected-leader fallback, optional SW handoff).
- Gotchas — the section anyone evaluating the library actually needs:
- SharedWorker name caching → set workerVersion per deploy
- delivered != backend-processed (until ackMode: 'server')
- No replay buffer for late-joining tabs (by design)
- In-browser, same-origin only
- Mobile fallback paths get less coverage
- SW handoff requires deliveryUrl
- Configuration table cross-referencing types.ts.
- System events list.
- Development commands.
- Pre-1.0 status.
About 200 lines. Intent is to make the gotchas the most prominent
section after quickstart so readers can self-evaluate fit before
investing in adoption.
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Summary
The previous README was a project-setup placeholder — "coming soon", empty checklist, "Like Istio for the frontend". It hasn't tracked reality since v1 landed (PR #4) and definitely doesn't reflect the 16 PRs that came after.
This rewrites it to ~200 lines covering what someone evaluating TabMesh actually needs to decide adoption.
Sections
Why prioritise gotchas
Anyone scanning a 200-line README skips ~80% of it. Putting the sharp edges right after Quickstart means the people who would have hit them and filed an issue self-select out before adopting — saving everyone time.
Test plan