diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
deleted file mode 100644
index 2784be47ca94c..0000000000000
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,29 +0,0 @@
-<!--
-    Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one
-    or more contributor license agreements.  See the NOTICE file
-    distributed with this work for additional information
-    regarding copyright ownership.  The ASF licenses this file
-    to you under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the
-    "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance
-    with the License.  You may obtain a copy of the License at
-
-      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
-
-    Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing,
-    software distributed under the License is distributed on an
-    "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY
-    KIND, either express or implied.  See the License for the
-    specific language governing permissions and limitations
-    under the License.
--->
-
-# How to Contribute
-
-The Apache Beam community welcomes contributions from anyone!
-Please see our [contribution guide](https://beam.apache.org/contribute/contribution-guide/)
-for details, such as:
-
-* Sharing your intent with the community
-* Development setup and testing your changes
-* Submitting a pull request and finding a reviewer
-
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 8d7b9ee942416..2f30c9a5cc412 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -83,20 +83,8 @@ Have ideas for new Runners? See the [JIRA](https://issues.apache.org/jira/issues
 
 ## Getting Started
 
-Please refer to the Quickstart[[Java](https://beam.apache.org/get-started/quickstart-java), [Python](https://beam.apache.org/get-started/quickstart-py), [Go](https://beam.apache.org/get-started/quickstart-go)] available on our website.
-
-If you'd like to build and install the whole project from the source distribution, you may need some additional tools installed
-in your system. In a Debian-based distribution:
-
-```
-sudo apt-get install \
-    openjdk-8-jdk \
-    python-setuptools \
-    python-pip \
-    virtualenv
-```
-
-Then please use the standard `./gradlew build` command.
+To learn how to write Beam pipelines, read the Quickstart for [[Java](https://beam.apache.org/get-started/quickstart-java), [Python](https://beam.apache.org/get-started/quickstart-py), or 
+[Go](https://beam.apache.org/get-started/quickstart-go)] available on our website.
 
 ## Contact Us
 
@@ -106,11 +94,12 @@ To get involved in Apache Beam:
 * [Subscribe](mailto:dev-subscribe@beam.apache.org) or [mail](mailto:dev@beam.apache.org) the [dev@beam.apache.org](http://mail-archives.apache.org/mod_mbox/beam-dev/) list.
 * Report issues on [JIRA](https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/BEAM).
 
-We also have a [contributor's guide](https://beam.apache.org/contribute/contribution-guide/).
+Instructions for building and testing Beam itself
+are in the [contribution guide](https://beam.apache.org/contribute/).
 
 ## More Information
 
-* [Apache Beam](http://beam.apache.org)
-* [Overview](http://beam.apache.org/use/beam-overview/)
+* [Apache Beam](https://beam.apache.org)
+* [Overview](https://beam.apache.org/use/beam-overview/)
 * Quickstart: [Java](https://beam.apache.org/get-started/quickstart-java), [Python](https://beam.apache.org/get-started/quickstart-py), [Go](https://beam.apache.org/get-started/quickstart-go)
 * [Community metrics](https://s.apache.org/beam-community-metrics)
diff --git a/website/src/contribute/index.md b/website/src/contribute/index.md
index 9d84167b27fdb..62a1827c6f087 100644
--- a/website/src/contribute/index.md
+++ b/website/src/contribute/index.md
@@ -67,14 +67,38 @@ To contribute code, you need
 
  - a GitHub account
  - a Linux, macOS, or Microsoft Windows development environment with Java JDK 8 installed
- - [Docker](https://www.docker.com/) installed for some tasks including building worker containers and testing website
+ - [Docker](https://www.docker.com/) installed for some tasks including building worker containers and testing this website
    changes locally
- - [Go](https://golang.org) 1.10 or later installed for Go SDK development
- - Python, virtualenv, and tox installed for Python SDK development
+ - [Go](https://golang.org) 1.12 or later installed for Go SDK development
+ - Python 2.7, 3.5, 3.6, and 3.7. Yes, you need all four versions installed.
+    - pip, setuptools, virtualenv, and tox installed for Python development
  - for large contributions, a signed [Individual Contributor License
    Agreement](https://www.apache.org/licenses/icla.pdf) (ICLA) to the Apache
    Software Foundation (ASF).
 
+To install these in a Debian-based distribution:
+
+```
+sudo apt-get install \
+   openjdk-8-jdk \
+   python-setuptools \
+   python-pip \
+   virtualenv \
+   tox \
+   docker-ce
+```
+
+You also need to [install Go](https://golang.org/doc/install]).
+
+Once Go is installed, install goavro:
+
+```
+$ export GOPATH=`pwd`/sdks/go/examples/.gogradle/project_gopath
+$ go get github.com/linkedin/goavro
+```
+
+gLinux users should configure their machines for sudoless Docker.
+
 ### Connect With the Beam community
 
 1. Consider subscribing to the [dev@ mailing list]({{ site.baseurl}}/community/contact-us/), especially
@@ -182,7 +206,7 @@ To contribute code, you need
 1. If you don't get any response in 3 business days, email the [dev@ mailing list]({{ site.baseurl }}/community/contact-us) to ask for someone to look at your pull
    request.
 
-### Make reviewer's job easier
+### Make the reviewer's job easier
 
 1. Provide context for your changes in the associated JIRA issue and/or PR description.