Standardized README to Markdown format

README.md

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+# Virtual Retina - Download
+
+| ![retina logo](index_files/retinalogo_small) |
+|-----------------------------------------------|
+
+**Virtual Retina**
+*Large scale simulator of biological retina*
+INRIA CeCILL C open-source license (2007)
+Partially supported by the [EC IP project FP6-015879 FACETS](http://facets.kip.uni-heidelberg.de/)
+**[Odyssée research-team](http://www-sop.inria.fr/odyssee/), [INRIA Sophia Antipolis - Méditerranée](http://www-sop.inria.fr/)**
+
+---
+
+| [Overview](http://www-sop.inria.fr/odyssee/software/virtualretina/index.shtml) | [Web-service](http://facets.inria.fr/retina/webservice.html) | [Results](http://www-sop.inria.fr/odyssee/software/virtualretina/results.shtml) | [Customization](http://www-sop.inria.fr/odyssee/software/virtualretina/customization.shtml) | [Download](http://www-sop.inria.fr/odyssee/software/virtualretina/download.shtml) | [Publications](http://www-sop.inria.fr/odyssee/software/virtualretina/publications.shtml) | [Contact](mailto:adrien.wohrer@inria.fr,pierre.kornprobst@inria.fr) |
+
+---
+
+## Technical prerequisites
+
+- Runs under Linux. Compiled with gcc version 3.4 or more.
+- Also runs under [mac](http://www-sop.inria.fr/odyssee/software/virtualretina/other_files/mac.pdf) (thanks to [Horacio.Rostro_Gonzalez@sophia.inria.fr](mailto:Horacio.Rostro_Gonzalez@sophia.inria.fr)).
+- Required helper softwares (included in the archive):
+  - **MVASpike**, an event-driven neural network simulation software
+  - **CImg**, an image processing library
+  - **libxml++**, an xml parsing software
+  - **xmlParameters++**, a small helper library producing an interface between c++ parameters and an xml tree.
+
+## Download
+
+[retina_package.tar.gz](http://www-sop.inria.fr/odyssee/software/virtualretina/other_files/retina_package.tar.gz) is the archive with *Virtual Retina* and other required libraries. It also contains the tutorial explaining in detail both installation and usage of the software.
+
+## Installation
+
+A shell command performs an automatic installation of all libraries. Basic directions are also provided in the tutorial (included in the archive; also available [here](http://www-sop.inria.fr/odyssee/software/virtualretina/other_files/tutorial.pdf)) for those wishing to perform a custom, manual installation.
+
+## Tutorial
+
+A [tutorial](http://www-sop.inria.fr/odyssee/software/virtualretina/other_files/tutorial.pdf) is available, explaining both installation procedure and usage of the software in detail. Some README files in the archive also contain some information. Typically, the program is called under a LINUX shell, with a syntax that looks like this:
+
+| Retina   path/to/my/test_sequence*.pgm   -ret my_retina.xml  -r 10  -outD path/to/my/saving/directory |
+|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
+
+with possible options:
+
+- **test sequences** can be 2d frames under any usual format (as here), or directly a .inr 3-dimensional file.
+- **-ret** gives the path to the [retina definition file](http://www-sop.inria.fr/odyssee/software/virtualretina/index.html#customization) in xml format.
+- **-r** 10: each input frame is presented to the retina for a duration of 10*(retinal time step) = 50 ms in this case.
+- **-outD**: path to the directory where all simulation files will be saved.
+- etc. Full list of options by typing **-h**.
+
+*Virtual Retina* contains a number of customized retina definition files that you can directly use to start your first simulations.
+
+## Log file
+
+A [log file](http://www-sop.inria.fr/odyssee/software/virtualretina/other_files/VIRTUAL_RETINA_LOG_FILE.txt) has been created to keep track of the successive changes in the format required for the XML definition file.
+
+## Retina schema
+
+If you want to create a Retina configuration file, you can find a RelaxNG schema of the options you must provide there: [retinaSchema.rng](http://www-sop.inria.fr/odyssee/software/virtualretina/retinaSchema.rng).
+So you should be able to validate your Retina configuration file with a command like that (`xmllint` is part of libxml package):
+`xmllint your_xml_file.xml --noout --relaxng retinaSchema.rng`
+
+<br>
+
+---
+
+2025-06-02: Converted README to Markdown.