diff --git a/doc/binding.md b/doc/binding.md
index a2b2c7a1..851fbdb2 100644
--- a/doc/binding.md
+++ b/doc/binding.md
@@ -18,12 +18,28 @@ to what you need.
 
 # Don't bind the top-level C API
 
-The libvips C API (vips_add() and so on) is very inconvenient and dangerous
-to use from other languages due to its heavy use of varargs.
+The libvips C API (vips_add() and so on) was designed to be easy for humans
+to write. It is inconvenient and dangerous to use from other languages due
+to its heavy use of varargs.
 
-It's much better to use the layer below. This lower layer is structured as
-create operator, set parameters, execute, extract results. For example, you can
-execute vips_invert() like this:
+It's much better to use the layer below. This lower layer is structured as:
+
+- Create operator. You can use vips_operation_new() to make a new
+  `VipsOperation` object from an operator nickname, like `"add"`.
+
+- Set parameters. You can loop over the operation with vips_argument_map() to
+  get the name and type of each input argument.  For each argument, you
+  need to get the value from your language, convert to a `GValue`, then
+  use g_object_set_property() to set that value on the operator.
+
+- Execute with vips_cache_operation_build().
+
+- Extract results. Again, you loop over the operator arguments with
+  vips_argument_map(), but instead of inputs, this time you look for output
+  arguments. You extract their value with g_object_get_property(), and pass
+  the value back to your language.
+
+For example, you can execute vips_invert() like this:
 
 ```C
 /* compile with
@@ -113,18 +129,11 @@ main( int argc, char **argv )
 }
 ```
 
-libvips has a couple of extra things to let you examine the arguments and
-types of an operator at runtime. Use vips_argument_map() to loop
-over all the arguments of an operator, and vips_object_get_argument()
-to fetch the type and flags of a specific argument.
-
-Use vips_operation_get_flags() to get general information about an operator. 
-
 # Compiled language which can call C
 
 The C++ binding uses this lower layer to define a function called
-`VImage::call()` which can call any libvips operator with a not-varargs set of
-variable arguments. 
+`VImage::call()` which can call any libvips operator with a set of variable
+arguments.
 
 A small Python program walks the set of all libvips operators and generates a
 set of static bindings. For example:
@@ -142,9 +151,9 @@ VImage VImage::invert( VOption *options )
 }
 ```
 
-So from C++ you can call any libvips operator (though without type-safety) with
-`VImage::call()`, or use the member functions on `VImage` to get type-safe
-calls for at least the required operator arguments.
+So from C++ you can call any libvips operator (though without static
+typechecking) with `VImage::call()`, or use the member functions on `VImage`
+to get type-checked calls for at least the required operator arguments.
 
 The `VImage` class also adds automatic reference counting, constant expansion,
 operator overloads, and various other useful features.
@@ -157,15 +166,14 @@ but use FFI to call into libvips and run operations.
 
 Since these languages are dynamic, they can add another trick: they intercept
 the method-missing hook and attempt to run any method calls not implemented by
-the `Image` class as libvips operators. This makes these bindings self-writing:
-they only contain a small amount of code and just expose everything they find in
-the libvips class hierarchy. 
+the `Image` class as libvips operators. In effect, the binding is generated at
+runtime.
 
 # Dynamic langauge without FFI
 
-PHP does not have FFI, unfortunately, so for this language a small native
-module implements the general `vips_call()` function for PHP language types,
-and a larger pure PHP layer makes it convenient to use. 
+PHP does not have a useful FFI, unfortunately, so for this language a small
+C module implements the general `vips_call()` function for PHP language
+types, and a larger pure PHP layer makes it convenient to use.
 
 # gobject-introspection