Fix many package descriptions

(My OCD kicked in today...)

Remove repeated package names, capitalize first word, remove trailing
periods and move overlong descriptions to longDescription.

I also simplified some descriptions as well, when they were particularly
long or technical, often based on Arch Linux' package descriptions.

I've tried to stay away from generated expressions (and I think I
succeeded).

Some specifics worth mentioning:
 * cron, has "Vixie Cron" in its description. The "Vixie" part is not
   mentioned anywhere else. I kept it in a parenthesis at the end of the
   description.

 * ctags description started with "Exuberant Ctags ...", and the
   "exuberant" part is not mentioned elsewhere. Kept it in a parenthesis
   at the end of description.

 * nix has the description "The Nix Deployment System". Since that
   doesn't really say much what it is/does (especially after removing
   the package name!), I changed that to "Powerful package manager that
   makes package management reliable and reproducible" (borrowed from
   nixos.org).

 * Tons of "GNU Foo, Foo is a [the important bits]" descriptions
   is changed to just [the important bits]. If the package name doesn't
   contain GNU I don't think it's needed to say it in the description
   either.

68 files changed, 68 insertions, 70 deletions

diff --git a/pkgs/applications/audio/beast/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/audio/beast/default.nix
index 61b11c05de7..340a83e7963 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/audio/beast/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/audio/beast/default.nix
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation {
     ];
 
   meta = { 
-    description = "BEAST - the Bedevilled Sound Engine";
+    description = "A music composition and modular synthesis application";
     homepage = http://beast.gtk.org;
     license = ["GPL-2" "LGPL-2.1"];
   };
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/audio/cmus/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/audio/cmus/default.nix
index 2ea37e2bd23..4f9c491a3a5 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/audio/cmus/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/audio/cmus/default.nix
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
   buildInputs = [ ncurses pkgconfig alsaLib flac libmad ffmpeg libvorbis mpc mp4v2 ];
 
   meta = {
-    description = "cmus is a small, fast and powerful console music player for Linux and *BSD";
+    description = "Small, fast and powerful console music player for Linux and *BSD";
     homepage = http://cmus.sourceforge.net;
     license = stdenv.lib.licenses.gpl2;
   };
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/audio/moc/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/audio/moc/default.nix
index e5264f5c3d2..5c6a1d6ac54 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/audio/moc/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/audio/moc/default.nix
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
   ];
 
   meta = {
-    description = "MOC (music on console) is a console audio player for LINUX/UNIX designed to be powerful and easy to use.";
+    description = "An ncurses console audio player designed to be powerful and easy to use";
     homepage = http://moc.daper.net/;
     license = stdenv.lib.licenses.gpl2;
   };
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/audio/mp3info/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/audio/mp3info/default.nix
index 0f33726eaee..ede31ac9beb 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/audio/mp3info/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/audio/mp3info/default.nix
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
     '';
 
   meta = {
-    description = "MP3Info, an MP3 technical info viewer and ID3 1.x tag editor";
+    description = "MP3 technical info viewer and ID3 1.x tag editor";
 
     longDescription =
       '' MP3Info is a little utility used to read and modify the ID3 tags of
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/audio/mpc123/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/audio/mpc123/default.nix
index cd4343b1beb..ac945bee7f7 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/audio/mpc123/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/audio/mpc123/default.nix
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
   meta = {
     homepage = http://mpc123.sourceforge.net/;
 
-    description = "mpc123, a Musepack (.mpc) audio player";
+    description = "A Musepack (.mpc) audio player";
 
     license = stdenv.lib.licenses.gpl2Plus;
 
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/audio/mpg321/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/audio/mpg321/default.nix
index e58397350cb..939c9f79e4d 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/audio/mpg321/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/audio/mpg321/default.nix
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
   buildInputs = [libao libid3tag libmad zlib];
 
   meta = {
-    description = "mpg321, a command-line MP3 player";
+    description = "Command-line MP3 player";
     homepage = http://mpg321.sourceforge.net/;
     license = stdenv.lib.licenses.gpl2;
     maintainers = [ ];
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/audio/pamixer/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/audio/pamixer/default.nix
index acdda1799d0..d273c238177 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/audio/pamixer/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/audio/pamixer/default.nix
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
   '';
 
   meta = with stdenv.lib; {
-    description = "pamixer is like amixer but for pulseaudio.";
+    description = "Like amixer but for pulseaudio";
     longDescription = "Features:
       - Get the current volume of the default sink, the default source or a selected one by his id
       - Set the volume for the default sink, the default source or any other device
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/audio/spotify/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/audio/spotify/default.nix
index 59b82d155da..47919a7d7f8 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/audio/spotify/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/audio/spotify/default.nix
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation {
 
   meta = {
     homepage = https://www.spotify.com/;
-    description = "Spotify for Linux allows you to play music from the Spotify music service";
+    description = "Play music from the Spotify music service";
     license = stdenv.lib.licenses.unfree;
     maintainers = [ stdenv.lib.maintainers.eelco ];
   };
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/editors/ed/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/editors/ed/default.nix
index d3e9a4c4679..0c764fcf8f8 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/editors/ed/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/editors/ed/default.nix
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
   };
 
   meta = {
-    description = "GNU ed, an implementation of the standard Unix editor";
+    description = "An implementation of the standard Unix editor";
 
     longDescription = ''
       GNU ed is a line-oriented text editor.  It is used to create,
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/editors/mg/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/editors/mg/default.nix
index 058a54c45a7..6901aed774b 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/editors/mg/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/editors/mg/default.nix
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
 
   meta = {
     homepage = http://homepage.boetes.org/software/mg/;
-    description = "mg is Micro GNU/emacs, this is a portable version of the mg maintained by the OpenBSD team";
+    description = "Micro GNU/emacs, a portable version of the mg maintained by the OpenBSD team";
     license = "public domain";
     platforms = stdenv.lib.platforms.all;
   };
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/editors/texmacs/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/editors/texmacs/default.nix
index ce863312251..a258b634105 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/editors/texmacs/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/editors/texmacs/default.nix
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
         "${xmodmap}/bin:${which}/bin";
 
   meta = {
-    description = "GNU TeXmacs, a free WYSIWYW editing platform with special features for scientists";
+    description = "WYSIWYW editing platform with special features for scientists";
     longDescription =
       '' GNU TeXmacs is a free wysiwyw (what you see is what you want)
          editing platform with special features for scientists.  The software
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/graphics/geeqie/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/graphics/geeqie/default.nix
index b170b784aaa..de906e3d844 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/graphics/geeqie/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/graphics/geeqie/default.nix
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
     '';
 
   meta = {
-    description = "Geeqie, a lightweight GTK+ based image viewer";
+    description = "Lightweight GTK+ based image viewer";
 
     longDescription =
       ''
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/graphics/grafx2/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/graphics/grafx2/default.nix
index 6b7c9a27694..ee9df683c0a 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/graphics/grafx2/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/graphics/grafx2/default.nix
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
   installPhase = ''make install prefix="$out"'';
 
   meta = {
-    description = "GrafX2 is a bitmap paint program inspired by the Amiga programs Deluxe Paint and Brilliance.";
+    description = "Bitmap paint program inspired by the Amiga programs Deluxe Paint and Brilliance";
     homepage = http://code.google.co/p/grafx2/;
     license = stdenv.lib.licenses.gpl2;
     platforms = [ "x86_64-linux" "i686-linux" ];
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/graphics/jbrout/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/graphics/jbrout/default.nix
index 2207e8884f0..496078ffdb2 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/graphics/jbrout/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/graphics/jbrout/default.nix
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ buildPythonPackage {
   buildInputs = [ python pyGtkGlade makeWrapper pyexiv2 lxml pil fbida which ];
   meta = {
     homepage = "http://code.google.com/p/jbrout";
-    description = "jBrout is a photo manager";
+    description = "Photo manager";
     platforms = stdenv.lib.platforms.linux;
   };
 }
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/graphics/ocrad/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/graphics/ocrad/default.nix
index 4c20a41061a..201b59ad5e1 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/graphics/ocrad/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/graphics/ocrad/default.nix
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
   doCheck = true;
 
   meta = {
-    description = "GNU Ocrad, optical character recognition (OCR) program & library";
+    description = "Optical character recognition (OCR) program & library";
 
     longDescription =
       '' GNU Ocrad is an OCR (Optical Character Recognition) program based on
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/graphics/qiv/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/graphics/qiv/default.nix
index 86891f2cb93..01b0a1414a7 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/graphics/qiv/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/graphics/qiv/default.nix
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation (rec {
   '';
 
   meta = {
-    description = "qiv (quick image viewer)";
+    description = "Quick image viewer";
     homepage = http://spiegl.de/qiv/;
     inherit version;
   };
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/graphics/ufraw/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/graphics/ufraw/default.nix
index 783832abd00..dbfda4e5819 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/graphics/ufraw/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/graphics/ufraw/default.nix
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
   meta = {
     homepage = http://ufraw.sourceforge.net/;
 
-    description = "UFRaw, a utility to read and manipulate raw images from digital cameras";
+    description = "Utility to read and manipulate raw images from digital cameras";
 
     longDescription =
       '' The Unidentified Flying Raw (UFRaw) is a utility to read and
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/graphics/viewnior/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/graphics/viewnior/default.nix
index dd8e01298ff..478553d2c00 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/graphics/viewnior/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/graphics/viewnior/default.nix
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
   '';
 
   meta = {
-    description = "Viewnior is a fast and simple image viewer for GNU/Linux";
+    description = "Fast and simple image viewer";
     longDescription =
       '' Viewnior is insipred by big projects like Eye of Gnome, because of it's
          usability and richness,and by GPicView, because of it's lightweight design and
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/graphics/xaos/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/graphics/xaos/default.nix
index 8387b3486d4..cacefc9bcc1 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/graphics/xaos/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/graphics/xaos/default.nix
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ rec {
   name = "xaos-" + version;
   meta = {
     homepage = http://xaos.sourceforge.net/;
-    description = "XaoS - fractal viewer";
+    description = "Fractal viewer";
     license = a.stdenv.lib.licenses.gpl2Plus;
   };
 }
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/misc/bitcoin/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/misc/bitcoin/default.nix
index e38d427be8d..d7c1fbc487b 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/misc/bitcoin/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/misc/bitcoin/default.nix
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
   enableParallelBuilding = true;
 
   meta = {
-      description = "Bitcoin is a peer-to-peer currency";
+      description = "Peer-to-peer electronic cash system";
       longDescription= ''
         Bitcoin is a free open source peer-to-peer electronic cash system that is
         completely decentralized, without the need for a central server or trusted
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/misc/camlistore/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/misc/camlistore/default.nix
index 56131425ab4..9adac335c0c 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/misc/camlistore/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/misc/camlistore/default.nix
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
   '';
 
   meta = with stdenv.lib; {
-    description = "Camlistore is a way of storing, syncing, sharing, modelling and backing up content";
+    description = "A way of storing, syncing, sharing, modelling and backing up content";
     homepage = https://camlistore.org;
     license = licenses.asl20;
     maintainers = with maintainers; [ cstrahan ];
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/misc/gpsbabel/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/misc/gpsbabel/default.nix
index bf44f91056d..5d4c2634952 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/misc/gpsbabel/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/misc/gpsbabel/default.nix
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation {
   doCheck = true;
 
   meta = {
-    description = "GPSBabel, a tool to convert, upload and download data from GPS and Map programs";
+    description = "Convert, upload and download data from GPS and Map programs";
 
     longDescription = ''
       GPSBabel converts waypoints, tracks, and routes between popular
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/misc/gv/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/misc/gv/default.nix
index 4867bef1f71..3fad634b18b 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/misc/gv/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/misc/gv/default.nix
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation {
 
   meta = {
     homepage = http://www.gnu.org/software/gv/;
-    description = "GNU gv, a PostScript/PDF document viewer";
+    description = "PostScript/PDF document viewer";
 
     longDescription = ''
       GNU gv allows users to view and navigate through PostScript and
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/misc/posterazor/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/misc/posterazor/default.nix
index 0cad2fbd2cd..38fac21322c 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/misc/posterazor/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/misc/posterazor/default.nix
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
 
   meta = {
     homepage = "http://posterazor.sourceforge.net/";
-    description = "The PosteRazor cuts a raster image into pieces which can afterwards be printed out and assembled to a poster";
+    description = "Cuts a raster image into pieces which can afterwards be printed out and assembled to a poster";
     maintainers = [ stdenv.lib.maintainers.madjar ];
     platforms = stdenv.lib.platforms.all;
   };
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/misc/stardict/stardict.nix b/pkgs/applications/misc/stardict/stardict.nix
index 1ca8ec045d6..d4c41edde30 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/misc/stardict/stardict.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/misc/stardict/stardict.nix
@@ -37,8 +37,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
   '';
 
   meta = {
-    description = "stardict";
-    homepage = "A international dictionary supporting fuzzy and glob style matching";
+    description = "An international dictionary supporting fuzzy and glob style matching";
     license = stdenv.lib.licenses.lgpl3;
     maintainers = with stdenv.lib.maintainers; [qknight];
   };
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/misc/tangogps/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/misc/tangogps/default.nix
index aa1df2c9d1a..0a2c1c88c23 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/misc/tangogps/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/misc/tangogps/default.nix
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
   '';
 
   meta = {
-    description = "tangoGPS, a user friendly map and GPS user interface";
+    description = "User friendly map and GPS user interface";
 
     longDescription = ''
       tangoGPS is an easy to use, fast and lightweight mapping
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/misc/viking/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/misc/viking/default.nix
index 6508b12e1de..9afabe0372d 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/misc/viking/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/misc/viking/default.nix
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation {
   doCheck = true;
 
   meta = {
-    description = "Viking, a GPS data editor and analyzer";
+    description = "GPS data editor and analyzer";
 
     longDescription = ''
       Viking is a free/open source program to manage GPS data.  You
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/misc/wordnet/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/misc/wordnet/default.nix
index 7594014d769..6ead69db220 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/misc/wordnet/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/misc/wordnet/default.nix
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation {
   '';
 
   meta = {
-    description = "WordNet, a lexical database for the English language";
+    description = "Lexical database for the English language";
 
     longDescription =
       '' WordNet® is a large lexical database of English.  Nouns, verbs,
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/misc/xfe/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/misc/xfe/default.nix
index d09a899b897..e216b19fab5 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/misc/xfe/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/misc/xfe/default.nix
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
   enableParallelBuilding = true;
 
   meta = {
-    description = "X File Explorer (Xfe) is an MS-Explorer like file manager for X";
+    description = "MS-Explorer like file manager for X";
     longDescription = ''
       X File Explorer (Xfe) is an MS-Explorer like file manager for X.
       It is based on the popular, but discontinued, X Win Commander, which was developed by Maxim Baranov.
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/networking/browsers/firefox/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/networking/browsers/firefox/default.nix
index ad2ea75bd70..e23a6d94ec1 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/networking/browsers/firefox/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/networking/browsers/firefox/default.nix
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
     '';
 
   meta = {
-    description = "Mozilla Firefox - the browser, reloaded";
+    description = "Web browser";
     homepage = http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/;
     maintainers = with lib.maintainers; [ eelco wizeman ];
     platforms = lib.platforms.linux;
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/networking/browsers/opera/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/networking/browsers/opera/default.nix
index 80b09bcd8a8..201a6b947c1 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/networking/browsers/opera/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/networking/browsers/opera/default.nix
@@ -81,6 +81,6 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
 
   meta = {
     homepage = http://www.opera.com;
-    description = "The Opera web browser";
+    description = "Web browser";
   };
 }
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/networking/ids/snort/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/networking/ids/snort/default.nix
index 858e99c245b..580591c18ad 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/networking/ids/snort/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/networking/ids/snort/default.nix
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
   buildInputs = [ libpcap pcre libdnet daq zlib flex bison ];
   
   meta = {
-    description = "Snort is an open source network intrusion prevention and detection system (IDS/IPS)";
+    description = "Network intrusion prevention and detection system (IDS/IPS)";
     homepage = http://www.snort.org;
     license = stdenv.lib.licenses.gpl2;
   };
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/networking/instant-messengers/bitlbee/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/networking/instant-messengers/bitlbee/default.nix
index ec614bf4b8c..cf10c1e6fe2 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/networking/instant-messengers/bitlbee/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/networking/instant-messengers/bitlbee/default.nix
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
   doCheck = true;
 
   meta = {
-    description = "BitlBee, an IRC to other chat networks gateway";
+    description = "IRC instant messaging gateway";
 
     longDescription = ''
       BitlBee brings IM (instant messaging) to IRC clients.  It's a
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/networking/instant-messengers/carrier/2.5.0.nix b/pkgs/applications/networking/instant-messengers/carrier/2.5.0.nix
index 9cf2558ef32..909d6404193 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/networking/instant-messengers/carrier/2.5.0.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/networking/instant-messengers/carrier/2.5.0.nix
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ rec {
       
   name = "carrier-2.5.0";
   meta = {
-    description = "Carrier - PidginIM GUI fork with user-friendly development model";
+    description = "PidginIM GUI fork with user-friendly development model";
     homepage = http://funpidgin.sf.net; 
   };
 } // (if externalPurple2 then {
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/networking/instant-messengers/ekiga/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/networking/instant-messengers/ekiga/default.nix
index 07730a8c0ee..e46956f3cca 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/networking/instant-messengers/ekiga/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/networking/instant-messengers/ekiga/default.nix
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
   '';
 
   meta = with stdenv.lib; {
-    description = "Ekiga SIP client";
+    description = "VOIP/Videoconferencing app with full SIP and H.323 support";
     maintainers = [ maintainers.raskin ];
     platforms = platforms.linux;
   };
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/networking/instant-messengers/fuze/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/networking/instant-messengers/fuze/default.nix
index 9ccada87fe2..41ffb421f8e 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/networking/instant-messengers/fuze/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/networking/instant-messengers/fuze/default.nix
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation {
   '';
 
   meta = {
-    description = "Fuze for Linux";
+    description = "Internet and mobile based unified communications solutions (Linux client)";
     homepage = http://www.fuzebox.com;
     license = "unknown";
   };
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/networking/instant-messengers/hipchat/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/networking/instant-messengers/hipchat/default.nix
index 6da12905f56..cf4c2e22ad6 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/networking/instant-messengers/hipchat/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/networking/instant-messengers/hipchat/default.nix
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation {
   '';
 
   meta = {
-    description = "HipChat Desktop Client";
+    description = "Desktop client for HipChat services";
     homepage = http://www.hipchat.com;
     license = stdenv.lib.licenses.unfree;
     platforms = [ "i686-linux" "x86_64-linux" ];
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/networking/instant-messengers/pidgin/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/networking/instant-messengers/pidgin/default.nix
index 6e6fd6d0eb6..814a191c457 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/networking/instant-messengers/pidgin/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/networking/instant-messengers/pidgin/default.nix
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
   + (lib.optionalString (gnutls != null) " --enable-gnutls=yes --enable-nss=no")
   ;
   meta = with stdenv.lib; {
-    description = "Pidgin IM - XMPP(Jabber), AIM/ICQ, IRC, SIP etc client";
+    description = "Multi-protocol instant messaging client";
     homepage = http://pidgin.im;
     license = licenses.gpl2Plus;
     platforms = platforms.linux;
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/networking/jmeter/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/networking/jmeter/default.nix
index 2d5e6b66bf0..77aeb64478f 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/networking/jmeter/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/networking/jmeter/default.nix
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
   '';
 
   meta = {
-    description = "Apache JMeter is a 100% pure Java desktop application designed to load test functional behavior and measure performance.";
+    description = "A 100% pure Java desktop application designed to load test functional behavior and measure performance";
     longDescription = ''
       The Apache JMeter desktop application is open source software, a 100%
       pure Java application designed to load test functional behavior and
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/networking/mailreaders/notmuch/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/networking/mailreaders/notmuch/default.nix
index 7a1eddfa869..75ccb93ca95 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/networking/mailreaders/notmuch/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/networking/mailreaders/notmuch/default.nix
@@ -70,8 +70,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
   checkTarget = "test";
 
   meta = {
-    description = "Notmuch -- The mail indexer";
-    longDescription = "";
+    description = "Mail indexer";
     license = stdenv.lib.licenses.gpl3;
     maintainers = with stdenv.lib.maintainers; [ chaoflow garbas ];
     platforms = stdenv.lib.platforms.gnu;
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/networking/newsreaders/slrn/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/networking/newsreaders/slrn/default.nix
index c933460af43..fe13c756bd7 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/networking/newsreaders/slrn/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/networking/newsreaders/slrn/default.nix
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation {
   buildInputs = [ slang ncurses ];
 
   meta = {
-    description = "The slrn (S-Lang read news) newsreader";
+    description = "Text-based newsreader";
     homepage = http://slrn.sourceforge.net/index.html;
     license = stdenv.lib.licenses.gpl2;
   };
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/networking/p2p/gnunet/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/networking/p2p/gnunet/default.nix
index 6c28840f7e5..052c5311253 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/networking/p2p/gnunet/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/networking/p2p/gnunet/default.nix
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
   */
 
   meta = {
-    description = "GNUnet, GNU's decentralized anonymous and censorship-resistant P2P framework";
+    description = "GNU's decentralized anonymous and censorship-resistant P2P framework";
 
     longDescription = ''
       GNUnet is a framework for secure peer-to-peer networking that
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/networking/remote/rdesktop/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/networking/remote/rdesktop/default.nix
index 9ba9e3aa3fc..09c20618d66 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/networking/remote/rdesktop/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/networking/remote/rdesktop/default.nix
@@ -19,6 +19,6 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation (rec {
   ];
 
   meta = {
-    description = "rdesktop is an open source client for Windows Terminal Services";
+    description = "Open source client for Windows Terminal Services";
   };
 })
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/networking/remote/remmina/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/networking/remote/remmina/default.nix
index 8fb929d53e1..8304f6dc091 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/networking/remote/remmina/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/networking/remote/remmina/default.nix
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation {
   meta = with stdenv.lib; {
     license = stdenv.lib.licenses.gpl2;
     homepage = "http://remmina.sourceforge.net/";
-    description = "Remmina is a remote desktop client written in GTK+";
+    description = "Remote desktop client written in GTK+";
     maintainers = [];
     platforms = platforms.linux;
   };
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/networking/syncthing/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/networking/syncthing/default.nix
index 226b7f6d097..64bf287b44f 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/networking/syncthing/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/networking/syncthing/default.nix
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
 
   meta = {
     homepage = http://syncthing.net/;
-    description = "Syncthing replaces Dropbox and BitTorrent Sync with something open, trustworthy and decentralized";
+    description = "Replaces Dropbox and BitTorrent Sync with something open, trustworthy and decentralized";
     license = with stdenv.lib.licenses; mit;
     maintainers = with stdenv.lib.maintainers; [ matejc ];
     platforms = with stdenv.lib.platforms; linux;
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/office/gnucash/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/office/gnucash/default.nix
index 9c255f493d3..8d6de404f98 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/office/gnucash/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/office/gnucash/default.nix
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
   enableParallelBuilding = true;
 
   meta = {
-    description = "GnuCash, a personal and small-business financial-accounting application";
+    description = "Personal and small-business financial-accounting application";
 
     longDescription = ''
       GnuCash is personal and small-business financial-accounting software,
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/office/libreoffice/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/office/libreoffice/default.nix
index 41cf1ebc33d..63d4db20af3 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/office/libreoffice/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/office/libreoffice/default.nix
@@ -252,7 +252,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
     ];
 
   meta = with stdenv.lib; {
-    description = "LibreOffice is a comprehensive, professional-quality productivity suite, a variant of openoffice.org";
+    description = "Comprehensive, professional-quality productivity suite, a variant of openoffice.org";
     homepage = http://libreoffice.org/;
     license = licenses.lgpl3;
     maintainers = [ maintainers.viric maintainers.raskin ];
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/science/astronomy/gravit/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/science/astronomy/gravit/default.nix
index 696890f95f1..1be1328da27 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/science/astronomy/gravit/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/science/astronomy/gravit/default.nix
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
 
   meta = {
     homepage = "http://gravit.slowchop.com";
-    description = "A beautiful OpenGL-based gravity simulator";
+    description = "Beautiful OpenGL-based gravity simulator";
     license = stdenv.lib.licenses.gpl2;
 
     longDescription = ''
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/science/biology/emboss/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/science/biology/emboss/default.nix
index 96181c8ee6c..c9974660da3 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/science/biology/emboss/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/science/biology/emboss/default.nix
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation {
   # '';
 
   meta = {
-    description     = "EMBOSS is 'The European Molecular Biology Open Software Suite'";
+    description     = "The European Molecular Biology Open Software Suite";
     longDescription = ''EMBOSS is a free Open Source software analysis package
     specially developed for the needs of the molecular biology (e.g. EMBnet)
     user community, including libraries. The software automatically copes with
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/science/logic/alt-ergo/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/science/logic/alt-ergo/default.nix
index 2a95d0cd65b..62359baf2bc 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/science/logic/alt-ergo/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/science/logic/alt-ergo/default.nix
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
     [ ocaml findlib ocamlgraph zarith lablgtk gmp ];
 
   meta = {
-    description = "Alt-Ergo is a high-performance theorem prover and SMT solver";
+    description = "High-performance theorem prover and SMT solver";
     homepage    = "http://alt-ergo.ocamlpro.com/";
     license     = stdenv.lib.licenses.cecill-c; # LGPL-2 compatible
     platforms   = stdenv.lib.platforms.linux;
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/science/logic/coq/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/science/logic/coq/default.nix
index 678ec6a4b04..da77a4c5a9a 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/science/logic/coq/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/science/logic/coq/default.nix
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation {
   buildFlags = "revision coq coqide";
 
   meta = {
-    description = "Coq proof assistant";
+    description = "Formal proof management system";
     longDescription = ''
       Coq is a formal proof management system.  It provides a formal language
       to write mathematical definitions, executable algorithms and theorems
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/science/logic/matita/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/science/logic/matita/default.nix
index f601f97de62..0f393b419f1 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/science/logic/matita/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/science/logic/matita/default.nix
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation {
 
   meta = {
     homepage = http://matita.cs.unibo.it/;
-    description = "Matita is an experimental, interactive theorem prover";
+    description = "Experimental, interactive theorem prover";
     license = stdenv.lib.licenses.gpl2Plus;
     maintainers = [ stdenv.lib.maintainers.roconnor ];
   };
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/science/logic/prooftree/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/science/logic/prooftree/default.nix
index caaf4a94a1e..94b1d590762 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/science/logic/prooftree/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/science/logic/prooftree/default.nix
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation (rec {
   configureFlags = [ "--prefix" "$(out)" ];
 
   meta = {
-    description = "Prooftree is a program for proof-tree visualization";
+    description = "A program for proof-tree visualization";
     longDescription = ''
       Prooftree is a program for proof-tree visualization during interactive
       proof development in a theorem prover. It is currently being developed
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/science/logic/twelf/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/science/logic/twelf/default.nix
index c6c7e4d9c1a..f9680b47579 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/science/logic/twelf/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/science/logic/twelf/default.nix
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
   '';
 
   meta = {
-    description = "Twelf logic proof assistant";
+    description = "Logic proof assistant";
     longDescription = ''
       Twelf is a language used to specify, implement, and prove properties of
       deductive systems such as programming languages and logics. Large
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/science/math/fricas/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/science/math/fricas/default.nix
index 1817c43ed7b..6e187843404 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/science/math/fricas/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/science/math/fricas/default.nix
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
 
   meta = {
     homepage = http://fricas.sourceforge.net/;
-    description = "Fricas CAS";
+    description = "An advanced computer algebra system";
     license = stdenv.lib.licenses.bsd3;
 
     hydraPlatforms = stdenv.lib.platforms.linux;
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/science/math/glsurf/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/science/math/glsurf/default.nix
index c4352c46f92..1439d327d6e 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/science/math/glsurf/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/science/math/glsurf/default.nix
@@ -26,6 +26,6 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation {
 
   meta = {
     homepage = http://www.lama.univ-savoie.fr/~raffalli/glsurf;
-    description = "GlSurf: a program to draw implicit surfaces and curves";
+    description = "A program to draw implicit surfaces and curves";
   };
 }
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/science/math/jags/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/science/math/jags/default.nix
index a93386149bd..785c2460bb4 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/science/math/jags/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/science/math/jags/default.nix
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
   buildInputs = [gfortran liblapack blas];
 
   meta = {
-    description = "JAGS: Just Another Gibbs Sampler";
+    description = "Just Another Gibbs Sampler";
     license     = "GPL2";
     homepage    = http://www-ice.iarc.fr/~martyn/software/jags/;
     maintainers = [stdenv.lib.maintainers.andres];
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/science/math/maxima/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/science/math/maxima/default.nix
index 096796a859d..3277d94d99b 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/science/math/maxima/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/science/math/maxima/default.nix
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation {
   enableParallelBuilding = true;
 
   meta = {
-    description = "Maxima computer algebra system";
+    description = "Computer algebra system";
     homepage = "http://maxima.sourceforge.net";
     license = stdenv.lib.licenses.gpl2;
 
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/science/misc/fityk/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/science/misc/fityk/default.nix
index db79839ba66..4c93eef2b1c 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/science/misc/fityk/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/science/misc/fityk/default.nix
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation {
   buildInputs = [wxGTK30 boost lua zlib bzip2 xylib readline gnuplot ];
 
   meta = {
-    description = "Fityk -- curve fitting and peak fitting software";
+    description = "Curve fitting and peak fitting software";
     license = "GPL2";
     homepage = http://fityk.nieto.pl/;
     platforms = stdenv.lib.platforms.linux;
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/science/misc/simgrid/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/science/misc/simgrid/default.nix
index 29a7caf769b..7656668f056 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/science/misc/simgrid/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/science/misc/simgrid/default.nix
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
   doCheck = false;
 
   meta = {
-    description = "SimGrid, a simulator for distributed applications in heterogeneous environments";
+    description = "Simulator for distributed applications in heterogeneous environments";
 
     longDescription =
       '' SimGrid is a toolkit that provides core functionalities for the
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/science/molecular-dynamics/gromacs/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/science/molecular-dynamics/gromacs/default.nix
index b9abf7b55b4..879690bc91e 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/science/molecular-dynamics/gromacs/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/science/molecular-dynamics/gromacs/default.nix
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation {
   meta = {
     homepage    = "http://www.gromacs.org";
     license     = "GPLv2";
-    description = "The GROMACS molecular dynamics software package";
+    description = "Molecular dynamics software package";
     longDescription = ''
       GROMACS is a versatile package to perform molecular dynamics,
       i.e. simulate the Newtonian equations of motion for systems
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/science/spyder/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/science/spyder/default.nix
index 1079a153ca1..806d2f546cf 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/science/spyder/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/science/spyder/default.nix
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ buildPythonPackage rec {
   '';
 
   meta = with stdenv.lib; {
-    description = "Scientific PYthon Development EnviRonment (SPYDER)";
+    description = "Scientific python development environment";
     longDescription = ''
       Spyder (previously known as Pydee) is a powerful interactive development
       environment for the Python language with advanced editing, interactive
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/version-management/git-and-tools/git/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/version-management/git-and-tools/git/default.nix
index a4d16e46060..877c65afccf 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/version-management/git-and-tools/git/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/version-management/git-and-tools/git/default.nix
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation {
 
   meta = {
     homepage = http://git-scm.com/;
-    description = "Git, a popular distributed version control system";
+    description = "Distributed version control system";
     license = stdenv.lib.licenses.gpl2Plus;
 
     longDescription = ''
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/version-management/rcs/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/version-management/rcs/default.nix
index e71d23132ac..823638669b6 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/version-management/rcs/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/version-management/rcs/default.nix
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
 
   meta = {
     homepage = http://www.gnu.org/software/rcs/;
-    description = "GNU RCS, a revision control system";
+    description = "Revision control system";
     longDescription =
       '' The GNU Revision Control System (RCS) manages multiple revisions of
          files. RCS automates the storing, retrieval, logging,
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/video/gnash/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/video/gnash/default.nix
index 06122619066..515e2591461 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/video/gnash/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/video/gnash/default.nix
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
 
   meta = {
     homepage = http://www.gnu.org/software/gnash/;
-    description = "GNU Gnash, a libre SWF (Flash) movie player";
+    description = "A libre SWF (Flash) movie player";
 
     longDescription = ''
       Gnash is a GNU Flash movie player.  Flash is an animation file format
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/video/kino/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/video/kino/default.nix
index 16bd57bef34..7dd089537b7 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/video/kino/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/video/kino/default.nix
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation {
 
 
   meta = { 
-      description = "Kino is a non-linear DV editor for GNU/Linux";
+      description = "Non-linear DV editor for GNU/Linux";
       homepage = http://www.kinodv.org/;
       license = stdenv.lib.licenses.gpl2;
   };
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/video/xbmc/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/video/xbmc/default.nix
index 26c54c537ae..875ed48c102 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/video/xbmc/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/video/xbmc/default.nix
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
 
     meta = {
       homepage = http://xbmc.org/;
-      description = "XBMC Media Center";
+      description = "Media center";
       license = "GPLv2";
       platforms = stdenv.lib.platforms.linux; 
       maintainers = [ stdenv.lib.maintainers.iElectric ];
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/window-managers/ratpoison/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/window-managers/ratpoison/default.nix
index 65264c20db3..0eb28464e59 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/window-managers/ratpoison/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/window-managers/ratpoison/default.nix
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
 
   meta = {
     homepage = "http://www.nongnu.org/ratpoison/";
-    description = "Ratpoison, a simple mouse-free tiling window manager";
+    description = "Simple mouse-free tiling window manager";
     license = stdenv.lib.licenses.gpl2Plus;
 
     longDescription = ''