docs: Expand section on how to install Python3 and Meson

With screenshots!

docs/markdown/Getting-meson.md

@@ -1,28 +1,75 @@
 # Getting meson
 
+Meson is implemented in Python 3, and requires 3.5 or newer. If your operating
+system provides a package manager, you should install it with that. For
+platforms that don't have a package manager, you need to download it from
+[Python's home page]. See below for [platform-specific Python3
+quirks](#Platform-specific_install_quirks).
+
 ## Downloading Meson
 
-Meson releases can be downloaded from the [GitHub release page].
+Meson releases can be downloaded from the [GitHub release page], and you can
+run `./meson.py` from inside a release or the git repository itself without
+doing anything special.
+
+On Windows, if you did not install Python with the installer options that make
+Python scripts executable, you will have to run `python /path/to/meson.py`,
+where `python` is Python 3.5 or newer.
+
+The newest development code can be obtained directly from [Git], and we strive
+to ensure that it will always be working and usable. All commits go through
+a pull-request process that runs CI and tests several platforms.
+
+## Installing Meson with pip
 
 Meson is also available in the [Python Package Index] and can be
-installed with `pip3 install meson`.
+installed with `pip3 install meson` to install it system-wide and requires root.
 
-The newest development code can be obtained directly from [Git]
+Alternatively, you can use `pip3 install --user meson` which will install it
+for your user and does not require any special privileges. This will install
+the package in `~/.local/`, so you will have to add `~/.local/bin` to your
+`PATH`.
 
 ## Dependencies
 
-Meson is implemented in Python 3. If your operating system provides a
-package manager, you should install it with that. For platforms that
-don't have a package manager, you need to download it from [Python's
-home page].
+In the most common case, you will need the [Ninja executable] for using the
+`ninja` backend, which is the default in Meson. This backend can be used on all
+platforms and with all toolchains, including GCC, Clang, Visual Studio, MinGW,
+ICC, ARMCC, etc.
 
-Depending on your platform and backend you wish to use, you might need
-the [Ninja executable]. Again, use your distro-provided version if
-possible. Otherwise download it from Ninja project's web site.
+You can use the version provided by your package manager if possible, otherwise
+download the binary executable from the [Ninja project's release
+page](https://github.com/ninja-build/ninja/releases).
+
+If you will only use the Visual Studio backend (`--backend=vs`) to generate
+Visual Studio solutions on Windows or the XCode backend (`--backend=xcode`) to
+generate XCode projects on macOS, you do not need Ninja.
+
+# Platform-specific install quirks
+
+## Windows Python3 quirks
+
+When installing Python 3, it is highly recommended (but not required) that you
+select the installer options as follows:
+
+![installer step 1](images/py3-install-1.png "Enable 'Add Python 3.6 to PATH' and click 'Customize installation'")
+![installer step 2](images/py3-install-2.png "Optional Features: ensure 'pip' is enabled")
+![installer step 3](images/py3-install-2.png "Advanced Options: enable 'Install for all users'")
+
+With this, you will have `python` and `pip` in `PATH`, and you can install
+Meson with pip. You will also be able to directly run `meson` in any shell on
+Windows instead of having to run `py -3` with the full path to the `meson.py`
+script.
+
+## MSYS2 Python3 quirks
+
+If you are using MSYS2 on Windows as your development environment, please make
+sure that you **do not use** the `msys/python` package to provide Python 3. Use
+either `mingw32/mingw-w64-i686-python3` or `mingw64/mingw-w64-x86_64-python3`
+depending on which MinGW target you are building for.
 
   [GitHub release page]: https://github.com/mesonbuild/meson/releases
   [Python Package Index]: https://pypi.python.org/pypi/meson/
   [Git]: https://github.com/mesonbuild/meson
   [Python's home page]: https://www.python.org/downloads/
   [Ninja executable]: https://ninja-build.org/
-