gnu: Synchronize descriptions with 'gnumaint'.

62 files changed, 231 insertions, 221 deletions

diff --git a/gnu/packages/autotools.scm b/gnu/packages/autotools.scm
index 90f80872ed..d37842c4ce 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/autotools.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/autotools.scm
@@ -200,10 +200,10 @@ exec ~a --no-auto-compile \"$0\" \"$@\"
     (home-page "http://www.gnu.org/software/automake/")
     (synopsis "Making GNU standards-compliant Makefiles")
     (description
-     "Automake the part of the GNU build system for producing standards-
-compliant Makefiles.  Build requirements are entered in an intuitive format
-and then Automake works with Autoconf to produce a robust Makefile,
-simplifying the entire process for the developer.")
+     "Automake the part of the GNU build system for producing
+standards-compliant Makefiles.  Build requirements are entered in an
+intuitive format and then Automake works with Autoconf to produce a robust
+Makefile, simplifying the entire process for the developer.")
     (license gpl2+)))                      ; some files are under GPLv3+
 
 (define-public libtool
@@ -257,8 +257,8 @@ simplifying the entire process for the developer.")
                      %standard-phases))))
     (synopsis "Generic shared library support tools")
     (description
-     "Libtool is a script to help in the creation of shared libraries.  By
-presenting a consistent, portable interface, it hides the complexity of
-building usable shared libraries.")
+     "GNU Libtool helps in the creation and use of shared libraries, by
+presenting a single consistent, portable interface that hides the usual
+complexity of working with shared libraries across platforms.")
     (license gpl3+)
     (home-page "http://www.gnu.org/software/libtool/")))
diff --git a/gnu/packages/base.scm b/gnu/packages/base.scm
index c1014f9087..02f1b91392 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/base.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/base.scm
@@ -81,10 +81,11 @@ command-line arguments, multiple languages, and so on.")
    (description
     "grep is a tool for finding text inside files.  Text is found by
 matching a pattern provided by the user in one or many files.  The pattern
-may be provided as a basic, extended, or Perl-style regular expression, as
-well as a list of fixed strings.  By default, the matching text is simply
-printed to the screen, however the output can be greatly customized to
-include, for example, line numbers.")
+may be provided as a basic or extended regular expression, or as fixed
+strings.  By default, the matching text is simply printed to the screen,
+however the output can be greatly customized to include, for example, line
+numbers.  GNU grep offers many extensions over the standard utility,
+including, for example, recursive directory searching.")
    (license gpl3+)
    (home-page "http://www.gnu.org/software/grep/")))
 
@@ -118,7 +119,8 @@ include, for example, line numbers.")
     "Sed is a non-interactive, text stream editor.  It receives a text
 input from a file or from standard input and it then applies a series of text
 editing commands to the stream and prints its output to standard output.  It
-is often used for substituting text patterns in a stream.")
+is often used for substituting text patterns in a stream.  The GNU
+implementation offers several extensions over the standard utility.")
    (license gpl3+)
    (home-page "http://www.gnu.org/software/sed/")))
 
@@ -140,7 +142,8 @@ is often used for substituting text patterns in a stream.")
 ability to extract, update or list files in an existing archive.  It is
 useful for combining many files into one larger file, while maintaining
 directory structure and file information such as permissions and
-creation/modification dates.")
+creation/modification dates.  GNU tar offers many extensions over the
+standard utility.")
    (license gpl3+)
    (home-page "http://www.gnu.org/software/tar/")))
 
@@ -165,7 +168,7 @@ creation/modification dates.")
    (synopsis "Apply differences to originals, with optional backups")
    (description
     "Patch is a program that applies changes to files based on differences
-laid out by the program \"diff\".  The changes may be applied to one or more
+laid out as by the program \"diff\".  The changes may be applied to one or more
 files depending on the contents of the diff file.  It accepts several
 different diff formats.  It may also be used to revert previously applied
 differences.")
@@ -186,10 +189,10 @@ differences.")
    (build-system gnu-build-system)
    (synopsis "Comparing and merging files")
    (description
-    "Diffutils is a package containing several tool for finding the
-differences between files.  The diff command is used to show how two files
-differ, while cmp shows the offsets and line numbers where they differ. 
-diff3 allows you to compare three files.  Finally, sdiff offers an
+    "GNU Diffutils is a package containing tools for finding the
+differences between files.  The \"diff\" command is used to show how two files
+differ, while \"cmp\" shows the offsets and line numbers where they differ. 
+\"diff3\" allows you to compare three files.  Finally, \"sdiff\" offers an
 interactive means to merge two files.")
    (license gpl3+)
    (home-page "http://www.gnu.org/software/diffutils/")))
@@ -219,8 +222,8 @@ interactive means to merge two files.")
 GNU system.  It consists of two primary searching utilities: \"find\"
 recursively searches for files in a directory according to given criteria and
 \"locate\" lists files in a database that match a query.  Two auxiliary tools
-are included: \"updatedb\" updates a file name database and \"xargs\" may be used
-to apply commands to file search results.")
+are included: \"updatedb\" updates the file name database and \"xargs\" may be
+used to apply commands with arbitrarily long arguments.")
    (license gpl3+)
    (home-page "http://www.gnu.org/software/findutils/")))
 
@@ -261,7 +264,7 @@ to apply commands to file search results.")
                 %standard-phases)))
    (synopsis "Core GNU utilities (file, text, shell)")
    (description
-    "Coreutils includes all of the basic commandline tools that are
+    "GNU Coreutils includes all of the basic command-line tools that are
 expected in a POSIX system.  These provide the basic file, shell and text
 manipulation functions of the GNU system.  Most of these tools offer extended
 functionality beyond that which is outlined in the POSIX standard.")
@@ -301,7 +304,7 @@ executables or other files from their source files.  The process is
 controlled from a Makefile, in which the developer specifies how each file is
 generated from its source.  It has powerful dependency resolution and the
 ability to determine when files have to be regenerated after their sources
-change.")
+change.  GNU make offers many powerful extensions over the standard utility.")
    (license gpl3+)
    (home-page "http://www.gnu.org/software/make/")))
 
@@ -342,10 +345,10 @@ change.")
    (synopsis "Binary utilities: bfd gas gprof ld")
    (description
     "GNU Binutils is a collection of tools for working with binary files.
-Most notable are \"ld\", a linker, and \"as\", an assembler.  Several other tools
-are included, such as a program to display binary profiling information, a
-tool to list the strings in a binary file, and tools for working with
-archives.")
+Perhaps the most notable are \"ld\", a linker, and \"as\", an assembler. Other
+tools include programs to display binary profiling information, list the
+strings in a binary file, and utilities for working with archives.  The \"bfd\"
+library for working with executable and object formats is also included.")
    (license gpl3+)
    (home-page "http://www.gnu.org/software/binutils/")))
 
diff --git a/gnu/packages/bash.scm b/gnu/packages/bash.scm
index bc91993978..1cd239a50c 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/bash.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/bash.scm
@@ -85,10 +85,10 @@
                                    %standard-phases)))
      (synopsis "The GNU Bourne-Again SHell")
      (description
-      "Bash is the shell, or commandline interpreter, of the GNU system.  It
+      "Bash is the shell, or command-line interpreter, of the GNU system.  It
 is compatible with the Bourne Shell, but it also integrates useful features
 from the Korn Shell and the C Shell and new improvements of its own.  It
-allows commandline editing, unlimited command history, shell functions and
+allows command-line editing, unlimited command history, shell functions and
 aliases, and job control while still allowing most sh scripts to be run
 without modification.")
      (license gpl3+)
diff --git a/gnu/packages/bison.scm b/gnu/packages/bison.scm
index b0eab278e3..cb8ed9a2ad 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/bison.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/bison.scm
@@ -46,8 +46,8 @@
     (home-page "http://www.gnu.org/software/bison/")
     (synopsis "Parser generator")
     (description
-     "Bison is a general-purpose parser generator.  It can build a
-deterministic LR or generalized LR parser from an annotated, context- free
-grammar.  It is versatile enough to have a wide variety of applications, from
-parsers for simple tools up to parsers for complex programming languages.")
+     "GNU Bison is a general-purpose parser generator.  It can build a
+deterministic or generalized LR parser from an annotated, context-free
+grammar.  It is versatile enough to have many applications, from parsers for
+simple tools through complex programming languages.")
     (license gpl3+)))
diff --git a/gnu/packages/cdrom.scm b/gnu/packages/cdrom.scm
index 4580af807b..f667691986 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/cdrom.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/cdrom.scm
@@ -89,7 +89,9 @@ caching facility provided by the library.")
 for CD-ROM and CD image file access.  It allows the developer to add CD
 access to an application without having to worry about the OS- and
 device-dependent properties of CD-ROM or the specific details of CD image
-formats.")
+formats.  It includes pycdio, a Python interface to libcdio, and
+libcdio-paranoia, a library providing jitter-free and error-free audio
+extraction from CDs.")
     (license gpl3+)))
 
 (define-public xorriso
@@ -113,11 +115,12 @@ formats.")
     (home-page "http://www.gnu.org/software/xorriso/")
     (synopsis "Create, manipulate, burn ISO-9660 filesystems")
     (description
-     "xorriso is a tool for copying files to and from ISO 9660 Rock Ridge,
-a.k.a Compact Disc File System, filesystems and it allows session- wise
-manipulation of them.  It features a formatter and burner for CD DVD and BD. 
-It can operate on existing ISO images or it can create new ones.  xorriso can
-then be used to copy files directly into or out of ISO files.")
+     "GNU Xorriso is a tool for copying files to and from ISO 9660 Rock
+Ridge, a.k.a. Compact Disc File System, filesystems and it allows
+session-wise manipulation of them.  It features a formatter and burner for
+CD, DVD and BD.  It can operate on existing ISO images or it can create new
+ones.  xorriso can then be used to copy files directly into or out of ISO
+files.")
     (license gpl3+)))
 
 (define-public cdparanoia
diff --git a/gnu/packages/cflow.scm b/gnu/packages/cflow.scm
index 76ab5506d6..2bb1fefda3 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/cflow.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/cflow.scm
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@
     (home-page "http://www.gnu.org/software/cflow/")
     (synopsis "Create a graph of control flow within a program")
     (description
-     "cflow analyzes C source files and produces a graph charting the
+     "GNU cflow analyzes C source files and produces a graph charting the
 control flow of the program.  It can output the graph in several styles and
 in either the POSIX format or in an extended GNU format. cflow also includes
 a major mode for Emacs for examining the flowcharts that it produces.")
diff --git a/gnu/packages/compression.scm b/gnu/packages/compression.scm
index 4d66ff6de6..efffa92692 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/compression.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/compression.scm
@@ -82,7 +82,10 @@ in compression.")
     ;; FIXME: The test suite wants `less', and optionally Perl.
     '(#:tests? #f))
    (description
-    "GNU Gzip is a data compression and decompression program.")
+    "GNU Gzip provides data compression and decompression utilities; the
+typical extension is \".gz\".  Unlike the \"zip\" format, it compresses a single
+file; as a result, it is often used in conjunction with \"tar\", resulting in
+\".tar.gz\" or \".tgz\", etc.")
    (license license:gpl3+)
    (home-page "http://www.gnu.org/software/gzip/")))
 
@@ -278,9 +281,8 @@ archiving.  Lzip is a clean implementation of the LZMA algorithm.")
     (home-page "http://www.gnu.org/software/sharutils/")
     (synopsis "Archives in shell scripts, uuencode/uudecode")
     (description
-     "GNU sharutils is a package for manipulating shell archives. Shell
-archives are collections of files that can be unpacked using only the shell;
-an archive is a self-extracting shell script. The tools in the Sharutils
-package make working with shell archives more robust, offering compression,
-file-splitting and simple checksums.")
+     "GNU sharutils is a package for creating and manipulating shell
+archives that can be readily emailed.  A shell archive is a file that can be
+processed by a Bourne-type shell to unpack the original collection of files. 
+This package is mostly for compatibility and historical interest.")
     (license license:gpl3+)))
diff --git a/gnu/packages/cpio.scm b/gnu/packages/cpio.scm
index e9d9bd5adf..2c6e5efdba 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/cpio.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/cpio.scm
@@ -39,9 +39,9 @@
     (home-page "https://www.gnu.org/software/cpio/")
     (synopsis "Manage cpio and tar file archives")
     (description
-     "Cpio copies files into or out of cpio or tar archives.  In fact, many
-formats are supported, including legacy formats.  The format is determined
-automatically by the program and is handled appropriately. Furthermore, the
-location of the archive is not important.  It can be another file on the
-drive, a tape, or data on a pipe.")
+     "GNU cpio copies files into or out of cpio or tar archives. Indeed,
+many formats are supported, including legacy formats.  The format is
+determined automatically by the program and is handled appropriately. 
+Furthermore, the location of the archive is not important.  It can be another
+file on the drive, a tape, or data on a pipe.")
     (license gpl3+)))
diff --git a/gnu/packages/ddrescue.scm b/gnu/packages/ddrescue.scm
index 13fac28cc2..dd5bf0e552 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/ddrescue.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/ddrescue.scm
@@ -40,8 +40,8 @@
     (synopsis "Data recovery utility")
     (native-inputs `(("lzip" ,lzip)))
     (description
-     "Ddrescue is a fully automated data recovery tool.  It copies data from
-one file to another, working to rescue data in case of read errors.  The
-program also includes a tool for manipulating its log- files, which are used
+     "GNU ddrescue is a fully automated data recovery tool.  It copies data
+from one file to another, working to rescue data in case of read errors.  The
+program also includes a tool for manipulating its log files, which are used
 to recover data more efficiently by only reading the necessary blocks.")
     (license gpl3+)))
diff --git a/gnu/packages/dejagnu.scm b/gnu/packages/dejagnu.scm
index b32772b215..edfe1aedd7 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/dejagnu.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/dejagnu.scm
@@ -79,6 +79,5 @@
     (description
      "DejaGnu is a framework for testing software.  In effect, it serves as
 a front-end for all tests written for a program.  Thus, each program can have
-multiple test suites, which are then all managed by a single, so-called \"test
-harness.\"")
+multiple test suites, which are then all managed by a single harness.")
     (license gpl2+)))
diff --git a/gnu/packages/ed.scm b/gnu/packages/ed.scm
index 4a2d524417..d981a75848 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/ed.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/ed.scm
@@ -46,8 +46,8 @@
     (synopsis "Line-oriented text editor")
     (description
      "Ed is a line-oriented text editor: rather than offering an overview of
-a document, ed performs editing one line at a time.  It can be operated both
+a document, ed performs editing one line at a time.  It can be executed both
 interactively and via shell scripts.  Its method of command input allows
-complex tasks to be performed in an automated way, however it has largely
-been superceded by full-screen editors like Emacs or Moe.")
+complex tasks to be performed in an automated way. GNU ed offers several
+extensions over the standard utility.")
     (license gpl3+)))
diff --git a/gnu/packages/emacs.scm b/gnu/packages/emacs.scm
index 181e2c47ee..c7811358bc 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/emacs.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/emacs.scm
@@ -89,13 +89,14 @@
     (home-page "http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/")
     (synopsis "The extensible, customizable, self-documenting text editor")
     (description
-     "Emacs is an extensible and highly customizable text editor.  It is
-based on an Emacs Lisp interpreter which has extensions to support text
-editing.  Due to its unique structure, it can be configured in an infinite
-multitude of ways, which has given rise to a vast array of packages that have
-been written for it that do everything from working as an email client to
-communicating online via IRC or XMPP.  Emacs is fully self-documenting and it
-features full Unicode support for nearly every human language.")
+     "GNU Emacs is an extensible and highly customizable text editor.  It is
+based on an Emacs Lisp interpreter with extensions for text editing.  Emacs
+has been extended in essentially all areas of computing, giving rise to a
+vast array of packages supporting, e.g., email, IRC and XMPP messaging,
+spreadsheets, remote server editing, and much more.  Emacs includes extensive
+documentation on all aspects of the system, from basic editing to writing
+large Lisp programs.  It has full Unicode support for nearly all human
+languages.")
     (license gpl3+)))
 
 
diff --git a/gnu/packages/freeipmi.scm b/gnu/packages/freeipmi.scm
index 34b577b6f8..5db95152a1 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/freeipmi.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/freeipmi.scm
@@ -41,8 +41,8 @@
     (home-page "http://www.gnu.org/software/freeipmi/")
     (synopsis "Platform management, including sensor and power monitoring")
     (description
-     "FreeIPMI is a collection of in-band and out-of-band IPMI software in
-accordance with the IPMI v1.5/2.0 specification.  These programs provide a
+     "GNU FreeIPMI is a collection of in-band and out-of-band IPMI software
+in accordance with the IPMI v1.5/2.0 specification.  These programs provide a
 set of interfaces for platform management.  Common functionality includes
 sensor monitoring, system event monitoring, power control and
 serial-over-LAN.")
diff --git a/gnu/packages/gawk.scm b/gnu/packages/gawk.scm
index 06895f20dd..9b22a1e5b8 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/gawk.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/gawk.scm
@@ -65,9 +65,8 @@
    (home-page "http://www.gnu.org/software/gawk/")
    (synopsis "A text scanning and processing language")
    (description
-    "Gawk is an implementation of Awk, a specialised programming language
-for the easy manipulation of formatted text, such as tables of data. The GNU
-implementation of Awk features a number of extensions beyond the traditional
-implementations, making writing powerful text manipulation scripts a simple
-task compared to writing similar programs in C.")
+    "Gawk is the GNU implementation of Awk, a specialized programming
+language for the easy manipulation of formatted text, such as tables of data.
+ Gawk features many extensions beyond the traditional implementation,
+including network access, sorting, and large libraries.")
    (license gpl3+)))
diff --git a/gnu/packages/gcal.scm b/gnu/packages/gcal.scm
index ae61fa2299..ca79887b20 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/gcal.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/gcal.scm
@@ -37,11 +37,11 @@
     (home-page "http://www.gnu.org/software/gcal")
     (synopsis "Calculating and printing a wide variety of calendars")
     (description
-     "Gcal is a program to calculate and print calendars on the command-
-line.  Calendars can be printed in 1-month, 3-month or whole-year views. In
-addition, eternal holiday lists can be generated for many countries, which
-can be complemented by user-made lists of fixed dates to make an agenda. 
-Gcal can also calculate astronomical data, such as the phases of the moon,
-and supports alternative calendar formats: Julian, Gregorian, Islamic,
-Chinese and more.")
+     "Gcal is a program to calculate and print calendars on the
+command-line.  Calendars can be printed in 1-month, 3-month or whole-year
+views. In addition, eternal holiday lists can be generated for many
+countries, which can be complemented by user-made lists of fixed dates to
+make an agenda.  Gcal can also calculate astronomical data, such as the
+phases of the moon, and supports alternative calendar formats: Julian,
+Gregorian, Islamic, Chinese and more.")
     (license gpl3+)))
diff --git a/gnu/packages/gcc.scm b/gnu/packages/gcc.scm
index aa3b48692e..bcaab30886 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/gcc.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/gcc.scm
@@ -211,7 +211,7 @@ where the OS part is overloaded to denote a specific ABI---into GCC
       (description
        "GCC is the GNU Compiler Collection.  It provides compiler front-ends
 for several languages, including C, C++, Objective-C, Fortran, Java, Ada, and
-Go.  It also includes standard libraries for these languages.")
+Go.  It also includes runtime support libraries for these languages.")
       (license gpl3+)
       (home-page "http://gcc.gnu.org/"))))
 
diff --git a/gnu/packages/gettext.scm b/gnu/packages/gettext.scm
index 6b056055b8..a17b1ea001 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/gettext.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/gettext.scm
@@ -68,9 +68,9 @@
     (home-page "http://www.gnu.org/software/gettext/")
     (synopsis "Tools and documentation for translation")
     (description
-     "gettext is a set of tools and documentation that provide a framework
-for translating the textual output of programs into multiple languages.  It
-provides translators with the means to create message catalogs, as well as an
-Emacs mode to work with them, and a runtime library to load translated
-messages from the catalogs.")
+     "GNU Gettext is a package providing a framework for translating the
+textual output of programs into multiple languages.  It provides translators
+with the means to create message catalogs, as well as an Emacs mode to work
+with them, and a runtime library to load translated messages from the
+catalogs.  Nearly all GNU packages use Gettext.")
     (license gpl3))) ; some files are under GPLv2+
diff --git a/gnu/packages/gnunet.scm b/gnu/packages/gnunet.scm
index 69cd74ee66..f7ba7bdcdb 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/gnunet.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/gnunet.scm
@@ -83,10 +83,10 @@
       ("zlib" ,zlib)))
    (synopsis "Library to extract meta-data from media files")
    (description
-    "GNU Libextractor is a library for extracting metadata from files.  It
+    "GNU libextractor is a library for extracting metadata from files.  It
 supports a very large number of file formats, including audio files, document
 files, and archive files.  Each file format is implemented as a plugin, so
-new formats can be added easily.  The package also containes a command-line
+new formats can be added easily.  The package also contains a command-line
 tool to extract metadata from a file and print the results.")
    (license license:gpl3+)
    (home-page "http://www.gnu.org/software/libextractor/")))
diff --git a/gnu/packages/gnupg.scm b/gnu/packages/gnupg.scm
index 398650e409..e88810916e 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/gnupg.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/gnupg.scm
@@ -167,7 +167,9 @@ specifications are building blocks of S/MIME and TLS.")
      "The GNU Privacy Guard is a complete implementation of the OpenPGP
 standard.  It is used to encrypt and sign data and communication.  It
 features powerful key management and the ability to access public key
-servers.")
+servers.  It includes several libraries: libassuan (IPC between GnuPG
+components), libgpg-error (centralized GnuPG error values), and libskba
+(working with X.509 certificates and CMS data).")
     (license gpl3+)))
 
 (define-public gpgme
diff --git a/gnu/packages/gnutls.scm b/gnu/packages/gnutls.scm
index ce13d81dfb..fb98068ac7 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/gnutls.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/gnutls.scm
@@ -46,8 +46,8 @@
     (home-page "http://www.gnu.org/software/libtasn1/")
     (synopsis "ASN.1 library")
     (description
-     "Libtasn1 is a library implementing the ASN.1 notation.  It is used for
-transmitting machine-neutral encodings of data objects in computer
+     "GNU libtasn1 is a library implementing the ASN.1 notation.  It is used
+for transmitting machine-neutral encodings of data objects in computer
 networking, allowing for formal validation of data according to some
 specifications.")
     (license lgpl2.0+)))
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ specifications.")
     (synopsis "Transport layer security library")
     (description
      "GnuTLS is a secure communications library implementing the SSL, TLS
-and DTLS protocols.  It is provided in the form of a C library to the
+and DTLS protocols.  It is provided in the form of a C library to support the
 protocols, as well as to parse and write X.5009, PKCS 12, OpenPGP and other
 required structures.")
     (license lgpl2.1+)))
diff --git a/gnu/packages/gnuzilla.scm b/gnu/packages/gnuzilla.scm
index ff7de4fe96..9289e3745d 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/gnuzilla.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/gnuzilla.scm
@@ -93,5 +93,5 @@
     (description
      "IceCat is the GNU version of the Firefox browser.  It is entirely free
 software, which does not recommend non-free plugins and addons. It also
-features extra privacy-protecting features built in.")
+features built-in privacy-protecting features.")
     (license license:mpl2.0))) ; and others, see toolkit/content/license.html
diff --git a/gnu/packages/gprolog.scm b/gnu/packages/gprolog.scm
index ad887cccaa..de323da57c 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/gprolog.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/gprolog.scm
@@ -50,6 +50,6 @@
     (description
      "GNU Prolog is a standards-compliant Prolog compiler with constraint
 solving over finite domains.  It accepts Prolog+ constraint programs and
-produces a compiled, native binary which can function in a stand- alone
+produces a compiled, native binary which can function in a stand-alone
 manner.  It also features an interactive interpreter.")
     (license (list gpl2+ lgpl3+))))
diff --git a/gnu/packages/groff.scm b/gnu/packages/groff.scm
index 2c5510a20e..21902ebc8a 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/groff.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/groff.scm
@@ -47,8 +47,8 @@
              ("texinfo" ,texinfo)))
    (synopsis "Typesetting from plain text mixed with formatting commands")
    (description
-    "The groff is a typesetting package that reads plain text and produces
+    "Groff is a typesetting package that reads plain text and produces
 formatted output based on formatting commands contained within the text.  It
-is used particularly often in the formatting of \"man\" documentation pages.")
+is usually the formatter of \"man\" documentation pages.")
    (license gpl3+)
    (home-page "http://www.gnu.org/software/groff/")))
diff --git a/gnu/packages/grub.scm b/gnu/packages/grub.scm
index 9ed0ed78e1..9bb4af6683 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/grub.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/grub.scm
@@ -97,11 +97,11 @@
        ("qemu" ,qemu-for-tests)
        ("xorriso" ,xorriso)))
     (home-page "http://www.gnu.org/software/grub/")
-    (synopsis "GRand unified boot loader")
+    (synopsis "GRand Unified Boot loader")
     (description
      "GRUB is a multiboot bootloader.  It is used for initially loading the
-kernel of an operating system and then transfering control to it. The kernel
-then goes on to load the rest of the operating system.  As a multiboot boot
+kernel of an operating system and then transferring control to it. The kernel
+then goes on to load the rest of the operating system. As a multiboot boot
 loader, GRUB handles the presence of multiple operating systems installed on
 the same computer; upon booting the computer, the user is presented with a
 menu to select one of the installed operating systems.")
diff --git a/gnu/packages/guile.scm b/gnu/packages/guile.scm
index 653d42c1b2..40d9ae7df8 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/guile.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/guile.scm
@@ -265,7 +265,8 @@ many readers as needed).")
     (home-page "http://www.gnu.org/software/guile-ncurses/")
     (synopsis "Guile bindings to ncurses")
     (description
-     "guile-ncurses provides guile bindings to the ncurses library.")
+     "guile-ncurses provides Guile language bindings for the ncurses
+library.")
     (license lgpl3+)))
 
 (define-public mcron
@@ -286,10 +287,10 @@ many readers as needed).")
     (home-page "http://www.gnu.org/software/mcron/")
     (synopsis "Run jobs at scheduled times")
     (description
-     "Mcron is a complete replacement for Vixie cron.  It is used to run
+     "GNU Mcron is a complete replacement for Vixie cron.  It is used to run
 tasks on a schedule, such as every hour or every Monday.  Mcron is written in
-Guile, so its configuration can be written in Scheme, however the original
-cron format is also supported.")
+Guile, so its configuration can be written in Scheme; the original cron
+format is also supported.")
     (license gpl3+)))
 
 (define-public guile-lib
diff --git a/gnu/packages/gv.scm b/gnu/packages/gv.scm
index f573e312df..6d3dbc4d11 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/gv.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/gv.scm
@@ -55,8 +55,8 @@
              ("zlib" ,zlib)))
    (synopsis "PostScript and PDF viewer using Ghostscript as a back-end")
    (description
-    "GV is a graphical user interface to the Ghostscript interpreter. With
-it, one can view and navigate through PostScript and PDF documents in X
+    "GNU GV is a graphical user interface to the Ghostscript interpreter.
+With it, one can view and navigate through PostScript and PDF documents in X
 Windows.")
    (license license:gpl3+)
    (home-page "http://www.gnu.org/software/gv/")))
diff --git a/gnu/packages/help2man.scm b/gnu/packages/help2man.scm
index 6644370b71..55c6faf404 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/help2man.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/help2man.scm
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@
     (home-page "http://www.gnu.org/software/help2man/")
     (synopsis "Automatically generate man pages from program --help")
     (description
-     "help2man is a program that converts the output of standard \"--help\"
-and \"--version\" command-line arguments into a manual page automatically.")
+     "GNU help2man is a program that converts the output of standard
+\"--help\" and \"--version\" command-line arguments into a manual page
+automatically.")
     (license gpl3+)))
diff --git a/gnu/packages/idutils.scm b/gnu/packages/idutils.scm
index 11dd6ea4d4..5854462d85 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/idutils.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/idutils.scm
@@ -43,9 +43,9 @@
     (home-page "http://www.gnu.org/software/idutils/")
     (synopsis "Identifier database utilities")
     (description
-     "ID Utils provides tools to create an index if textual tokens used in a
-list of file names and to then query that index.  Thus, it allows the user
-to, for example, find all the uses of a particular function in all files of a
-large programming project.  In addition to handling textual tokens, it can
-also handle numeric constants and the contents of character strings.")
+     "The GNU idutils package includes tools to create an index of textual
+tokens used in a list of file names and then to query that index.  Thus, it
+allows the user to, for example, find all the uses of a particular function
+in a large programming project.  In addition to handling textual tokens, it
+can also handle numeric constants and the contents of character strings.")
     (license gpl3+)))
diff --git a/gnu/packages/indent.scm b/gnu/packages/indent.scm
index 4a5d52b89f..78ceadf1be 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/indent.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/indent.scm
@@ -38,8 +38,9 @@
    (synopsis "Code reformatter")
    (description
     "Indent is a program that makes source code easier to read by
-reformatting it in a consistetn style.  It can change the style to one of
+reformatting it in a consistent style.  It can change the style to one of
 several different styles such as GNU, BSD or K&R.  It has some flexibility to
-deal with incomplete or malformed syntax.")
+deal with incomplete or malformed syntax.  GNU indent offers several
+extensions over the standard utility.")
    (license license:gpl3+)
    (home-page "http://www.gnu.org/software/indent/")))
diff --git a/gnu/packages/libidn.scm b/gnu/packages/libidn.scm
index 954b30a972..865915ea84 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/libidn.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/libidn.scm
@@ -37,8 +37,8 @@
 ;; FIXME: No Java and C# libraries are currently built.
    (synopsis "Internationalized string processing library")
    (description
-    "The GNU IDN Libary is an implementation of the Stringprep, Punycode
-and IDNA specifications.  These are used to encode and decode
-internationalized domain names.  It includes native C, C# and Java libraries.")
+    "libidn is a library implementing of the Stringprep, Punycode and IDNA
+specifications.  These are used to encode and decode internationalized domain
+names.  It includes native C, C# and Java libraries.")
    (license lgpl2.1+)
    (home-page "http://www.gnu.org/software/libidn/")))
diff --git a/gnu/packages/libsigsegv.scm b/gnu/packages/libsigsegv.scm
index 818908890e..1755b250bc 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/libsigsegv.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/libsigsegv.scm
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@
                     %standard-phases))
         '()))
    (description
-    "libsigsegv is a library to handle page faults, which occur when a
+    "GNU libsigsegv is a library to handle page faults, which occur when a
 program tries to access an unavailable region of memory, in user mode.  By
 catching and handling page faults, the program can implement pageable virtual
 memory, stack overflow handlers, and so on.")
diff --git a/gnu/packages/libunistring.scm b/gnu/packages/libunistring.scm
index 96d0922a7b..b48cb2d207 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/libunistring.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/libunistring.scm
@@ -38,7 +38,8 @@
    (build-system gnu-build-system)
    (synopsis "C library for manipulating Unicode strings")
    (description
-    "Libunistring is a library providing functions to manipulate Unicode
-strings and for manipulating C strings according to the Unicode standard.")
+    "GNU libunistring is a library providing functions to manipulate
+Unicode strings and for manipulating C strings according to the Unicode
+standard.")
    (home-page "http://www.gnu.org/software/libunistring/")
    (license lgpl3+)))
diff --git a/gnu/packages/linux.scm b/gnu/packages/linux.scm
index b3918fe4d1..f291dafefb 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/linux.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/linux.scm
@@ -210,8 +210,8 @@
        #:tests? #f))
     (synopsis "100% free redistribution of a cleaned Linux kernel")
     (description
-     "Linux Libre is a free (as in freedom) variant of the Linux kernel. It
-has been modified to remove any non-free binary blobs.")
+     "GNU Linux-Libre is a free (as in freedom) variant of the Linux kernel.
+It has been modified to remove all non-free binary blobs.")
     (license gpl2)
     (home-page "http://www.gnu.org/software/linux-libre/"))))
 
diff --git a/gnu/packages/lsh.scm b/gnu/packages/lsh.scm
index 7d9ba78a5e..ac01a878bc 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/lsh.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/lsh.scm
@@ -120,7 +120,7 @@ basis for almost any application.")
     (home-page "http://www.lysator.liu.se/~nisse/lsh/")
     (synopsis "GNU implementation of the Secure Shell (ssh) protocols")
     (description
-     "lsh is a free implementation of the SSH version 2 protocol.  It is
+     "GNU lsh is a free implementation of the SSH version 2 protocol.  It is
 used to create a secure line of communication between two computers,
 providing shell access to the server system from the client.  It provides
 both the server daemon and the client application, as well as tools for
diff --git a/gnu/packages/m4.scm b/gnu/packages/m4.scm
index 6bfe564148..0915fde4f2 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/m4.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/m4.scm
@@ -57,9 +57,9 @@
    (synopsis "Macro processor")
    (description
     "GNU M4 is an implementation of the M4 macro language, which features
-some extensions over other implementations.  It is used as a macro processor,
-which means it processes text, expanding macros as it encounters them.  It
-also has some built-in functionns, for example to run shell commands or to do
-arithmetic.")
+some extensions over other implementations, some of which are required by GNU
+Autoconf.  It is used as a macro processor, which means it processes text,
+expanding macros as it encounters them.  It also has some built-in functions,
+for example to run shell commands or to do arithmetic.")
    (license gpl3+)
    (home-page "http://www.gnu.org/software/m4/")))
diff --git a/gnu/packages/mail.scm b/gnu/packages/mail.scm
index d355d1e72c..bdb3d52070 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/mail.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/mail.scm
@@ -86,11 +86,11 @@
     (home-page "http://www.gnu.org/software/mailutils/")
     (synopsis "Utilities and library for reading and serving mail")
     (description
-     "Mailutils is a \"swiss army knife of electronic mail handling.\"  It is
-a suite of programs for managing, viewing and processing e-mail.  It contains
-both utilities and server daemons and all operate in a protocol-agnostic way.
- The underlying libraries are also made available, making adding mail
-capabilities to new software simple.")
+     "GNU Mailutils is a collection of programs for managing, viewing and
+processing electronic mail.  It contains both utilities and server daemons
+and all operate in a protocol-agnostic way.  The underlying libraries are
+also available, simplifying the addition of mail capabilities to new
+software.")
     (license
      ;; Libraries are under LGPLv3+, and programs under GPLv3+.
      (list gpl3+ lgpl3+))))
diff --git a/gnu/packages/maths.scm b/gnu/packages/maths.scm
index c1c78d5ce3..17d4503243 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/maths.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/maths.scm
@@ -50,10 +50,10 @@
    (build-system gnu-build-system)
    (synopsis "Conversion between thousands of scales")
    (description
-    "Units is a program for converting measured quantities between units of
+    "GNU Units converts between measured quantities between units of
 measure.  It can handle scale changes through adaptive usage of standard
-scale prefixes (i.e. micro-, kilo-, etc.).  It can also handle nonlinear
-conversions such as Fahrenheit to Celcius.  Its interpreter is powerful
+scale prefixes (micro-, kilo-, etc.).  It can also handle nonlinear
+conversions such as Fahrenheit to Celsius.  Its interpreter is powerful
 enough to be used effectively as a scientific calculator.")
    (license license:gpl3+)
    (home-page "http://www.gnu.org/software/units/")))
@@ -113,7 +113,7 @@ numbers.")
     (arguments
      `(#:configure-flags '("--with-gmp")))
     (home-page "http://www.gnu.org/software/glpk/")
-    (synopsis "NU Linear Programming Kit, supporting the MathProg language")
+    (synopsis "GNU Linear Programming Kit, supporting the MathProg language")
     (description
      "GLPK is a C library for solving large-scale linear programming (LP),
 mixed integer programming (MIP), and other related problems.  It supports the
@@ -154,12 +154,12 @@ LP/MIP solver is included in the package.")
     (home-page "http://www.gnu.org/software/pspp/")
     (synopsis "Statistical analysis")
     (description
-     "PSPP is a statistical analysis program.  It can perform descriptive
-statistics, T-tests, linear regression and non-parametric tests.  It features
-both a graphical interface as well as command-line input. PSPP is designed to
-interoperate with Gnumeric, LibreOffice and OpenOffice.  Data can be imported
-from spreadsheets, text files and database sources and it can be output in
-text, Postscript, PDF or HTML.")
+     "GNU PSPP is a statistical analysis program.  It can perform
+descriptive statistics, T-tests, linear regression and non-parametric tests. 
+It features both a graphical interface as well as command-line input. PSPP is
+designed to interoperate with Gnumeric, LibreOffice and OpenOffice.  Data can
+be imported from spreadsheets, text files and database sources and it can be
+output in text, PostScript, PDF or HTML.")
     (license license:gpl3+)))
 
 (define-public lapack
diff --git a/gnu/packages/multiprecision.scm b/gnu/packages/multiprecision.scm
index c9e691a626..6952f55b80 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/multiprecision.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/multiprecision.scm
@@ -69,8 +69,8 @@ cryptography and computational algebra.")
    (propagated-inputs `(("gmp" ,gmp)))            ; <mpfr.h> refers to <gmp.h>
    (synopsis "C library for arbitrary precision floating-point arithmetic")
    (description
-    "MPFR is a C library for performing multiple-precision, floating-point
-computations with correct rounding.")
+    "GNU MPFR is a C library for performing multiple-precision,
+floating-point computations with correct rounding.")
    (license lgpl3+)
    (home-page "http://www.mpfr.org/")))
 
diff --git a/gnu/packages/nano.scm b/gnu/packages/nano.scm
index 662cf4184f..22185f9ce9 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/nano.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/nano.scm
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@
     (home-page "http://www.nano-editor.org/")
     (synopsis "Small, user-friendly console text editor")
     (description
-     "nano is a small and simple text editor.  In addition to basic
+     "GNU Nano is a small and simple text editor.  In addition to basic
 editing, it supports interactive search and replace, go to line and column
 number, auto-indentation and more.")
     (license gpl3+))) ; some files are under GPLv2+
diff --git a/gnu/packages/ncurses.scm b/gnu/packages/ncurses.scm
index c6dd98a801..3e968a8ae9 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/ncurses.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/ncurses.scm
@@ -130,9 +130,10 @@
      (self-native-input? #t)                      ; for `tic'
      (synopsis "Terminal emulation (termcap, terminfo) library")
      (description
-      "Ncurses is a library which provides capabilities to write text to a
-terminal in a terminal-independent manner.  It supports pads and color as
+      "GNU Ncurses is a library which provides capabilities to write text to
+a terminal in a terminal-independent manner.  It supports pads and color as
 well as multiple highlights and forms characters.  It is typically used to
-implement user interfaces for command-line applications.")
+implement user interfaces for command-line applications.  The accompanying
+ncursesw library provides wide character support.")
      (license x11)
      (home-page "http://www.gnu.org/software/ncurses/"))))
diff --git a/gnu/packages/nettle.scm b/gnu/packages/nettle.scm
index f93c914996..4e9b3dd7b7 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/nettle.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/nettle.scm
@@ -39,9 +39,10 @@
     (inputs `(("m4" ,m4)))
     (propagated-inputs `(("gmp" ,gmp)))
     (home-page "http://www.lysator.liu.se/~nisse/nettle/")
-    (synopsis "C library for low-level crytographic functionality")
+    (synopsis "C library for low-level cryptographic functionality")
     (description
-     "Nettle is a low-level cryptographic library.  It is designed to fit in
-easily in almost any context.  It can be easily included in cryptographic
-toolkits for object-oriented languages or in applications themselves.")
+     "GNU Nettle is a low-level cryptographic library.  It is designed to
+fit in easily in almost any context.  It can be easily included in
+cryptographic toolkits for object-oriented languages or in applications
+themselves.")
     (license gpl2+)))
diff --git a/gnu/packages/ocrad.scm b/gnu/packages/ocrad.scm
index d1b56791d8..159d2fa07b 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/ocrad.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/ocrad.scm
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@
     (home-page "http://www.gnu.org/software/ocrad/")
     (synopsis "Optical character recognition based on feature extraction")
     (description
-     "Ocrad is an optical character recognition program based on a feature
-extraction method.  It can read images in PBM, PGM or PPM formats and it
-produces text in 8-bit or UTF-8 formats.")
+     "GNU Ocrad is an optical character recognition program based on a
+feature extraction method.  It can read images in PBM, PGM or PPM formats and
+it produces text in 8-bit or UTF-8 formats.")
     (license gpl3+)))
diff --git a/gnu/packages/oggvorbis.scm b/gnu/packages/oggvorbis.scm
index e2084b06b3..0bce731f45 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/oggvorbis.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/oggvorbis.scm
@@ -131,8 +131,8 @@ compressed video format.")
     (home-page "https://gnu.org/software/speex")
     (synopsis "Library for patent-free audio compression format")
     (description
-     "Speex is a patent-free audio compression codec specially designed for
-speech.  It is well-adapted to internet applications, such as VoIP. It
+     "GNU Speex is a patent-free audio compression codec specially designed
+for speech.  It is well-adapted to internet applications, such as VoIP.  It
 features compression of different bands in the same bitstream, intensity
 stereo encoding, and voice activity detection.")
     ;; 'src/getopt.c' is under LGPLv2+
diff --git a/gnu/packages/package-management.scm b/gnu/packages/package-management.scm
index 948af65bbd..44651f4511 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/package-management.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/package-management.scm
@@ -87,20 +87,12 @@
                        (base32
                         "0b5a2ngd9a7z2wnm01wc27rlwb61x854ndadxwmj8v8lrl6j2hxw"))))))
     (home-page "http://www.gnu.org/software/guix")
-    (synopsis "Managing installed software packages and versions")
+    (synopsis "Functional package manager for installed software packages and versions")
     (description
-     "GNU Guix is a purely functional package manager for the GNU system,
-and a distribution thereof.
-
-In addition to standard package management features, Guix supports
-transactional upgrades and roll-backs, unprivileged package management,
-per-user profiles, and garbage collection.
-
-It provides Guile Scheme APIs, including high-level embedded domain-specific
-languages (EDSLs), to describe how packages are built and composed.
-
-A user-land free software distribution for GNU/Linux comes as part of Guix.
-
-Guix is based on the Nix package manager.")
+     "GNU Guix is a functional package manager for the GNU system, and is
+also a distribution thereof.  It includes a virtual machine image. Besides
+the usual package management features, it also supports transactional
+upgrades and roll-backs, per-user profiles, and much more. It is based on the
+Nix package manager.")
     (license gpl3+)))
 
diff --git a/gnu/packages/parted.scm b/gnu/packages/parted.scm
index 25f021b6fd..34d29fd748 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/parted.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/parted.scm
@@ -59,6 +59,6 @@
     (home-page "http://www.gnu.org/software/parted/")
     (synopsis "Disk partition editor")
     (description
-     "Parted is a tool for creating and manipulating disk partition tables.
-It consists of a library and a command-line tool for performing these tasks.")
+     "GNU Parted is a package for creating and manipulating disk partition
+tables.  It includes a library and command-line utility.")
     (license gpl3+)))
diff --git a/gnu/packages/plotutils.scm b/gnu/packages/plotutils.scm
index 090d07c39b..7ec79a7ef5 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/plotutils.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/plotutils.scm
@@ -46,9 +46,9 @@
      "http://www.gnu.org/software/plotutils/")
     (synopsis "Plotting utilities and library")
     (description
-     "Plotutils is a collection of utilities for plotting and working with
-2D graphics.  It includes a library, libplot, for C and C++ for exporting 2D
-vector graphics in many file formats.  It also has support for 2D vector
-graphics animations.  The package also contains command-line programs for
-plotting scientific data.")
+     "GNU Plotutils is a package for plotting and working with 2D graphics. 
+It includes a library, \"libplot\", for C and C++ for exporting 2D vector
+graphics in many file formats.  It also has support for 2D vector graphics
+animations.  The package also contains command-line programs for plotting
+scientific data.")
     (license gpl2+)))
diff --git a/gnu/packages/pth.scm b/gnu/packages/pth.scm
index e7068a5240..211c0cf693 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/pth.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/pth.scm
@@ -39,11 +39,11 @@
     (home-page "http://www.gnu.org/software/pth")
     (synopsis "Portable thread library")
     (description
-     "Pth is a portable library providing non-preemptive, priority-based
+     "GNU Pth is a portable library providing non-preemptive, priority-based
 scheduling for multiple execution threads.  Each thread has its own
 program-counter, run-time stack, signal mask and errno variable. Threads are
 scheduled in a cooperative way, rather than in the standard preemptive way,
 such that they are managed according to priority and events.  However, Pth
-also features emulation of POSIX.1c threads (\"Pthreads\") for backwards
+also features emulation of POSIX.1c threads (\"pthreads\") for backwards
 compatibility.")
     (license lgpl2.1+)))
diff --git a/gnu/packages/readline.scm b/gnu/packages/readline.scm
index 5e8d7d7003..3dca1de4d4 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/readline.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/readline.scm
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@
                              %standard-phases)))
       (synopsis "Edit command lines while typing, with history support")
       (description
-       "Readline is a libary that allows users to edit command lines as they
+       "The GNU readline library allows users to edit command lines as they
 are typed in.  It can maintain a searchable history of previously entered
 commands, letting you easily recall, edit and re-enter past commands.  It
 features both Emacs-like and vi-like keybindings, making its usage
diff --git a/gnu/packages/recutils.scm b/gnu/packages/recutils.scm
index 2a3f09b2fd..0e4d81b30f 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/recutils.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/recutils.scm
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@
              ("check" ,check)))
    (synopsis "Manipulate plain text files as databases")
    (description
-    "Recutils is a set of tools and libraries for creating and
+    "GNU Recutils is a set of tools and libraries for creating and
 manipulating text-based, human-editable databases.  Despite being text-based,
 databases created with Recutils carry all of the expected features such as
 unique fields, primary keys, time stamps and more. Many different field types
diff --git a/gnu/packages/rush.scm b/gnu/packages/rush.scm
index f14e2f7202..c0450834f6 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/rush.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/rush.scm
@@ -41,8 +41,8 @@
     (home-page "http://www.gnu.org/software/rush/")
     (synopsis "Restricted user (login) shell")
     (description
-     "Rush is a restricted user shell, for systems on which users are to be
-provided with only limited functionality or resources. Administrators set
+     "GNU Rush is a restricted user shell, for systems on which users are to
+be provided with only limited functionality or resources. Administrators set
 user rights via a configuration file which can be used to limit, for example,
 the commands that can be executed, CPU time, or virtual memory usage.")
     (license gpl3+)))
diff --git a/gnu/packages/scheme.scm b/gnu/packages/scheme.scm
index 9a12cb6fdd..b43c58af10 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/scheme.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/scheme.scm
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@
     (home-page "http://www.gnu.org/software/mit-scheme/")
     (synopsis "Scheme implementation with integrated editor and debugger")
     (description
-     "MIT/GNU Scheme is an implementation of the Scheme programming
+     "GNU/MIT Scheme is an implementation of the Scheme programming
 language.  It provides an interpreter, a compiler and a debugger.  It also
 features an integrated Emacs-like editor and a large runtime library.")
     (license gpl2+)))
diff --git a/gnu/packages/screen.scm b/gnu/packages/screen.scm
index 8fa24e45f2..bb11c58fc1 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/screen.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/screen.scm
@@ -42,10 +42,10 @@
     (home-page "http://www.gnu.org/software/screen/")
     (synopsis "Full-screen window manager providing multiple terminals")
     (description
-     "Screen is a terminal window manager that multiplexes a single terminal
-between several processes.  The virtual terminals each provide features such
-as a scroll-back buffer and a copy-and-paste mechanism.  Screen then manages
-the different virtual terminals, allowing you to easily switch between them,
-to detach them from the current session, or even splitting the view to show
-two terminals at once.")
+     "GNU Screen is a terminal window manager that multiplexes a single
+terminal between several processes.  The virtual terminals each provide
+features such as a scroll-back buffer and a copy-and-paste mechanism.  Screen
+then manages the different virtual terminals, allowing you to easily switch
+between them, to detach them from the current session, or even splitting the
+view to show two terminals at once.")
     (license gpl2+)))
diff --git a/gnu/packages/shishi.scm b/gnu/packages/shishi.scm
index 632791de1a..2f5fa8a37c 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/shishi.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/shishi.scm
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@
     (home-page "http://www.gnu.org/software/shishi/")
     (synopsis "Implementation of the Kerberos 5 network security system")
     (description
-     "Shishi is a free implementation of the Kerberos 5 network security
+     "GNU Shishi is a free implementation of the Kerberos 5 network security
 system.  It is used to allow non-secure network nodes to communicate in a
 secure manner through client-server mutual authentication via tickets.")
     (license gpl3+)))
diff --git a/gnu/packages/system.scm b/gnu/packages/system.scm
index 2f1eab3806..e39b21ff6e 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/system.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/system.scm
@@ -53,10 +53,10 @@
               ("guile" ,guile-2.0)))
     (synopsis "Daemon managing daemons")
     (description
-     "DMD is a \"daemon-managing daemon,\" meaning it manages the execution of
-system services, replacing similar functionality found in typical init
-systems.  It provides dependency-handling through a convenient interface and
-is based on GNU Guile.")
+     "GNU DMD is a daemon-managing daemon, meaning that it manages the
+execution of system services, replacing similar functionality found in
+typical init systems.  It provides dependency-handling through a convenient
+interface and is based on GNU Guile.")
     (license gpl3+)
     (home-page "http://www.gnu.org/software/dmd/")))
 
@@ -120,7 +120,7 @@ application (for console or X terminals) and requires ncurses.")
     (home-page "http://www.gnu.org/software/pies/")
     (synopsis "Program invocation and execution supervisor")
     (description
-     "Pies is a program that supervises the invocation and executiton of
+     "GNU pies is a program that supervises the invocation and execution of
 other programs.  It reads the list of programs to be started from its
 configuration file, executes them, and then monitors their status,
 re-executing them as necessary.")
diff --git a/gnu/packages/texinfo.scm b/gnu/packages/texinfo.scm
index dc41cc4330..7c753a7cf6 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/texinfo.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/texinfo.scm
@@ -44,8 +44,9 @@
     (synopsis "The GNU documentation format")
     (description
      "Texinfo is the official documentation format of the GNU project.  It
-uses a single source file containing TeX-like formatting commands to produce
-a final document in any of several supported output formats, such as HTML or
-PDF.  This package includes both the tools necessary to produce info
-documents from their source as well as the command- line info reader.")
+uses a single source file using explicit commands to produce a final document
+in any of several supported output formats, such as HTML or PDF.  This
+package includes both the tools necessary to produce Info documents from
+their source and the command-line Info reader.  The emphasis of the language
+is on expressing the content semantically, avoiding physical markup commands.")
     (license gpl3+)))
diff --git a/gnu/packages/unrtf.scm b/gnu/packages/unrtf.scm
index c98a1d7b6c..6fafef1df4 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/unrtf.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/unrtf.scm
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@
     (home-page "http://www.gnu.org/software/unrtf")
     (synopsis "Convert Rich Text Format documents to other formats")
     (description
-     "UnRTF is a program for converting text documents from RTF to HTML,
-LaTeX, or troff macros.  It supports changes in font characteristics,
-underlines and strikethroughs, superscripts and subscripts, and more.")
+     "GNU UnRTF converts text documents from RTF to HTML, LaTeX, or troff. 
+It supports changes in font characteristics, underlines and strikethroughs,
+superscripts and subscripts, and more.")
     (license gpl2+)))
diff --git a/gnu/packages/version-control.scm b/gnu/packages/version-control.scm
index 3d88ff8a4a..bf34c17deb 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/version-control.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/version-control.scm
@@ -64,12 +64,11 @@
        #:python ,python-2)) ; Python 3 apparently not yet supported, see
                             ; https://answers.launchpad.net/bzr/+question/229048
     (home-page "https://gnu.org/software/bazaar")
-    (synopsis "Decentralized revision control system")
+    (synopsis "Version control system supporting both distributed and centralized workflows")
     (description
-     "GNU Bazaar is a distributed version control system, which supports both
-central version control and distributed version control.  Developers can
-organize their workspace in whichever way they want.  It is possible to work
-from a command line or use a GUI application.")
+     "GNU Bazaar is a version control system that allows you to record
+changes to project files over time. It supports both a distributed workflow
+as well as the classic centralized workflow.")
     (license gpl2+)))
 
 (define-public git
@@ -276,9 +275,11 @@ projects, from individuals to large-scale enterprise operations.")
     (home-page "http://www.gnu.org/software/rcs/")
     (synopsis "Per-file local revision control system")
     (description
-     "RCS is the Revision Control System.  It is used to manage multiple
-revisions of files.  Revisions are stored as reverse differences generated by
-GNU Diffutils.  RCS also handles identifying and merging revisions.")
+     "RCS is the original Revision Control System.  It works on a
+file-by-file basis, in contrast to subsequent version control systems such as
+CVS, Subversion, and Git.  This can make it suitable for system
+administration files, for example, which are often inherently local to one
+machine.")
     (license gpl3+)))
 
 (define-public cvs
@@ -330,6 +331,6 @@ RCS, PRCS, and Aegis packages.")
 vc-dwim is a tool that simplifies the task of maintaining a ChangeLog and
 using version control at the same time, for example by printing a reminder
 when a file change has been described in the ChangeLog but the file has not
-been added to the VCS.  vc-chlog scans changed files and generates
+been added to the VC.  vc-chlog scans changed files and generates
 standards-compliant ChangeLog entries based on the changes that it detects.")
     (license gpl3+)))
diff --git a/gnu/packages/wdiff.scm b/gnu/packages/wdiff.scm
index 1819977d28..774015ef90 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/wdiff.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/wdiff.scm
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@
     (home-page "https://www.gnu.org/software/wdiff/")
     (synopsis "Word difference finder")
     (description
-     "Wdiff is a front-end to the diff program from Diffutils that allows
-you to compare files on a word-by-word basis, where a word is anything
+     "GNU Wdiff is a front-end to the diff program from Diffutils that
+allows you to compare files on a word-by-word basis, where a word is anything
 between whitespace.")
     (license gpl3+)))
diff --git a/gnu/packages/wget.scm b/gnu/packages/wget.scm
index 29bb725d3b..0d34a27c14 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/wget.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/wget.scm
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@
     (home-page "http://www.gnu.org/software/wget/")
     (synopsis "Non-interactive command-line utility for downloading files")
     (description
-     "Wget is a non-interactive tool for fetching files using the HTTP,
+     "GNU Wget is a non-interactive tool for fetching files using the HTTP,
 HTTPS and FTP protocols.  It can resume interrupted downloads, use filename
 wild cards, supports proxies and cookies, and it can convert absolute links
 in downloaded documents to relative links.")
diff --git a/gnu/packages/which.scm b/gnu/packages/which.scm
index 65a4dd79f3..df2f8e9976 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/which.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/which.scm
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@
     (home-page "https://gnu.org/software/which/")
     (synopsis "Find full path of shell commands")
     (description
-     "which is a program that prints the full paths of executables on a
-system.")
+     "The which program finds the location of executables in PATH, with a
+variety of options.  It is an alternative to the shell \"type\" built-in
+command.")
     (license gpl3+))) ; some files are under GPLv2+
diff --git a/gnu/packages/xnee.scm b/gnu/packages/xnee.scm
index 94842a599c..c16d1600e5 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/xnee.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/xnee.scm
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@
     (home-page "http://www.gnu.org/software/xnee/")
     (synopsis "Record, replay and distribute user actions under X11")
     (description
-     "Xnee is a program that can record, replay and distribute user actions
-in X11.  It can be used to automate user interactions for testing or
+     "GNU Xnee is a program that can record, replay and distribute user
+actions in X11.  It can be used to automate user interactions for testing or
 demonstration purposes.")
     (license gpl3+)))
diff --git a/gnu/packages/zile.scm b/gnu/packages/zile.scm
index 0df53a69b8..d9c66b4bc6 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/zile.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/zile.scm
@@ -59,6 +59,6 @@
     (home-page "http://www.gnu.org/software/zile/")
     (synopsis "Zile is lossy Emacs, a lightweight Emacs clone")
     (description
-     "Zile is a lightweight Emacs clone.  It usage is extremely similar to
-that of Emacs but it carries a much lighter feature set.")
+     "GNU Zile is a lightweight Emacs clone.  It usage is similar to the
+default Emacs configuration, but it carries a much lighter feature set.")
     (license gpl3+)))