--- a/doc/interpreter/preface.txi	Thu Jan 12 13:00:46 2012 -0500
+++ b/doc/interpreter/preface.txi	Thu Jan 12 14:14:09 2012 -0500
@@ -32,29 +32,29 @@
 were somewhat vague, we knew that we wanted to create something that
 would enable students to solve realistic problems, and that they could
 use for many things other than chemical reactor design problems.
-
-There are those who would say that we should be teaching the students
-Fortran instead, because that is the computer language of engineering,
-but every time we have tried that, the students have spent far too much
-time trying to figure out why their Fortran code crashes and not enough
-time learning about chemical engineering.  With Octave, most students
-pick up the basics quickly, and are using it confidently in just a few
-hours.
+We find that most students pick up the basics of Octave quickly, and are
+using it confidently in just a few hours.
 
 Although it was originally intended to be used to teach reactor design,
 it has been used in several other undergraduate and graduate
 courses in the Chemical Engineering Department at the University of
 Texas, and the math department at the University of Texas has been using
-it for teaching differential equations and linear algebra as well.  If
-you find it useful, please let us know.  We are always interested to
-find out how Octave is being used in other places.
+it for teaching differential equations and linear algebra as well.
+More recently, Octave has been used as the primary computational tool
+for teaching Stanford's online Machine Learning class
+(@url{ml-class.org}) taught by Andrew Ng.  Tens of thousands of students
+participated in the course.
+
+If you find Octave useful, please let us know.  We are always interested
+to find out how Octave is being used.
 
 Virtually everyone thinks that the name Octave has something to do with
-music, but it is actually the name of a former professor of mine who
-wrote a famous textbook on chemical reaction engineering, and who was
-also well known for his ability to do quick `back of the envelope'
-calculations.  We hope that this software will make it possible for many
-people to do more ambitious computations just as easily.
+music, but it is actually the name of one of John W. Eaton's former
+professors who wrote a famous textbook on chemical reaction engineering,
+and who was also well known for his ability to do quick `back of the
+envelope' calculations.  We hope that this software will make it
+possible for many people to do more ambitious computations just as
+easily.
 
 Everyone is encouraged to share this software with others under the
 terms of the GNU General Public License (@pxref{Copying}).  You are 
@@ -65,6 +65,7 @@
 @menu
 * Acknowledgements::            
 * How You Can Contribute to Octave::  
+* Donations to Support Octave Development::
 * Distribution::                
 @end menu
 
@@ -162,6 +163,24 @@
 could make a significant difference in the amount of time that is
 available for development and support.
 
+Donations supporting Octave development may be made on the web at
+@url{https://my.fsf.org/donate/working-together/octave}.  These
+donations also help to support the Free Software Foundation
+
+If you'd prefer to pay by check or money order, you can do so by sending
+a check to the FSF at the following address:
+
+@quotation
+Free Software Foundation@*
+51 Franklin Street, Suite 500@*
+Boston, MA 02110-1335@*
+USA
+@end quotation
+
+@noindent
+If you pay by check, please be sure to write ``GNU Octave'' in the memo
+field of your check.
+
 If you cannot provide funding or contribute code, you can still help
 make Octave better and more reliable by reporting any bugs you find and
 by offering suggestions for ways to improve Octave.  @xref{Trouble}, for
@@ -180,18 +199,7 @@
 GNU General Public License that comes with Octave and that also appears 
 in @ref{Copying}.
 
-Octave is available on CD-ROM, with various collections of other free
-software, from the Free Software Foundation.  Ordering a copy of
-Octave from the Free Software Foundation helps to fund the development
-of more free software.  For more information, write to
+To download a copy of Octave, please visit
+@url{http://www.octave.org/download.html}.
 
-@quotation
-Free Software Foundation@*
-51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor@*
-Boston, MA 02110-1301--1307@*
-USA
-@end quotation
-
-Octave can also be downloaded from @url{http://www.octave.org}, where
-additional information is available.
 @end ifclear