docs: clean up and trim main README into a concise overview

[nah414]

What

Cleans up and trims the main README.md so the GitHub landing page reads as a concise, professional overview rather than an exhaustive build log.

Changes

• Restructured sections — split the dense intro into a definition paragraph + a "what it isn't" disclaimer, and moved the release narrative out of the Documents section so Documents lists only documents.
• Collapsed the per-phase build log — replaced the long per-phase "Release history" prose and the 19-row per-phase Status table (every dev0–dev12/rc1 version and granular implementation note) with a concise ## Status: a current-version line, a high-level "what's live" overview, and short "in progress" / "planned-deferred" lines.
• Trimmed the document descriptions to their essence.
• Normalized dashes — converted the table's -- separators to em-dashes (—) for consistent rendering.

Preserved

No facts invented; this is a summarize-and-trim pass over existing content. Kept intact:

• all document links (architecture spec, Phase 0 build guide, perception plans v0/v1),
• the Apache 2.0 license section and its Decision 34 rationale,
• the key facts: v1.0.0 released, v1.1 in progress, perception extension planned,
• the author note.

Note for reviewers

Some granular facts were intentionally dropped from the README (still available in the linked architecture doc and git history): exact dev-version numbers, commit hashes, individual PR links, precise test counts, the Phase 13.x .x.1–.x.8 breakdown, and the 1.0.0 vs 1.0.0rc1 content-equivalence note. That trade-off is the point of "summary, not build log" — flagging in case any should be restored.

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

Summary by Sourcery

Condense and restructure the main README into a concise, user-facing overview of Phoenix, its key documents, and current status, replacing the detailed phase-by-phase build log and release history with a high-level status summary.

Documentation:

• Rewrite the README introduction into a clearer definition of Phoenix plus a separate "what it isn’t" disclaimer.
• Trim and simplify document descriptions while preserving links to the architecture spec, build guide, and perception harness plans.
• Replace the detailed phase timeline and status table with a concise status section summarizing the current v1.0.0 release, v1.1 work in progress, and planned perception extension.

[sourcery-ai]

Reviewer's Guide

Refactors the main README into a concise product overview by restructuring the intro and documents sections, replacing the detailed phase-by-phase build log and status table with a short status summary, tightening document descriptions, and normalizing punctuation while preserving core release facts and links.

File-Level Changes

Change	Details	Files
Restructured the README introduction and separated the product definition from disclaimers about what Phoenix is not.	Split the original dense intro paragraph into a concise definition paragraph and a follow-up "not a SaaS / not a chat" clarification Kept the core description of Phoenix’s purpose and positioning but improved readability and flow Retained the v1.0 release statement while trimming extra narrative about Phase 13 and dev-version details	README.md
Simplified the Documents section to highlight key docs with shorter, higher-level descriptions.	Trimmed the architecture spec description to a high-level summary of what it covers while keeping the v1.1 revision note Condensed the Phase 0 build guide description to emphasize the minimum skeleton and scaffolding Promoted the perception harness plan into a clearly labeled future extension planning subsection, keeping the v0 plan as an historical record	README.md
Replaced the detailed per-phase release history and large status table with a concise Status section organized by current, in-progress, and planned work.	Removed the phase-by-phase shipping narrative, dev-version numbers, commit hashes, and granular implementation notes from the README Introduced a ## Status section summarizing the current v1.0.0 release, high-level "what's live" components, and in-progress v1.1 cognition work Added a brief summary of planned/deferred items (reference admin client and perception extension), pointing readers to the architecture doc for full acceptance criteria	README.md
Normalized wording and punctuation and tightened language for professionalism and readability.	Standardized dash usage by replacing -- table-style separators with em dashes for consistent rendering Removed or rephrased overly detailed test counts and sub-phase breakdowns that belong in architecture/build docs or git history Ensured all existing important links (docs, release, license) and key facts (v1.0 released, v1.1 in progress, perception extension planned) remain present	README.md

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[sourcery-ai]

Hey - I've left some high level feedback:

• The new ## Status section is much clearer, but it still mixes time-specific facts (exact dates, provider SDK names, artifact details) with high-level positioning; consider moving some of the time-bound or low-level implementation details into the architecture/build docs and keeping this section focused on what a new reader needs to know in one screen.
• The perception harness bullets under Documents and Status still read slightly heavier than the rest of the trimmed README; you might simplify those summaries to one short sentence each that defers deeper rationale and phase numbering to PHOENIX_PERCEPTION_HARNESS_PLAN_v1.md.

Prompt for AI Agents

Please address the comments from this code review:

## Overall Comments
- The new `## Status` section is much clearer, but it still mixes time-specific facts (exact dates, provider SDK names, artifact details) with high-level positioning; consider moving some of the time-bound or low-level implementation details into the architecture/build docs and keeping this section focused on what a new reader needs to know in one screen.
- The perception harness bullets under Documents and Status still read slightly heavier than the rest of the trimmed README; you might simplify those summaries to one short sentence each that defers deeper rationale and phase numbering to `PHOENIX_PERCEPTION_HARNESS_PLAN_v1.md`.

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