update docs

docs/dev.md

@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@ Bubble Developer Guide
 ======================
 This guide is intended for developers who would like to work directly with the Bubble source code.
 
+For API-level details, see the [the Bubble API](https://github.com/getbubblenow/bubble-docs/blob/master/api/README.md)
+
 # Development Setup
 These instructions presume you are running a newly setup Ubuntu 20.04 or Mac OS X system.
 
@@ -56,3 +58,18 @@ If you want to "start over", run:
 This will remove local files stored by Bubble, and drop the bubble database.
 
 If you run `./bin/run.sh` again, it will be like running it for the first time.
+
+## Next
+What to do next depends on what you want to do with Bubble.
+
+If you've started the Bubble API already using `run.sh`, and want to launch a Bubble,
+continue with [activation](activation.md).
+
+Would you like more guidance on starting the [Local Launcher](local-launcher.md)?
+
+If all you want to do is launch your own Bubble, starting with
+the [Bubble Docker Launcher](docker-launcher.md) is probably faster and easier.
+
+Or perhaps you are interested in exploring the
+[Bubble API](https://github.com/getbubblenow/bubble-docs/blob/master/api/README.md) and
+interacting with Bubble programmatically.

docs/launch-types.md

@@ -0,0 +1,74 @@
+Bubble Launch Types
+===================
+There are different ways to launch a Bubble, depending on what you're trying to do.
+
+First we'll discuss how to set the launch type, then look at what the different options are and what
+they mean.
+
+# Setting the Launch Type
+How you set the launch type depends on whether you use the web interface or the [CLI/API](https://github.com/getbubblenow/bubble-docs/blob/master/api/README.md).
+
+### Via Web UI
+Launch Type is called "Bubble Type" in the web interface.
+
+On the Bubble launch screen, click the "Launch with Advanced Settings" link.
+The first drop-down option is "Bubble Type".
+
+### Via the API
+The Launch Type is called `installType` in the Bubble API. When using the API, set the `launchType` property in the JSON object that creates the Bubble. 
+
+# What Makes Launch Types Different?
+The two key distinguishing characteristics of each Launch Type are its **Mode** and how it handles **Cloud Services**.
+
+### Bubble Mode
+The mode can be either `sage` or `node`.
+
+A `sage`, also called a launcher, is a Bubble that launches other Bubbles.
+You don't connect devices to a sage/launcher. You just launcher other Bubbles with it.
+
+A `node`, also often just called a Bubble, is a regular Bubble that acts as a VPN and you connect devices to it.
+A Bubble can either delegate cloud services back to the Bubble that launched it (we call this a Bubble in cloud mode),
+or it can call cloud services directly (a Bubble in standalone mode).
+
+The mode is called `installType` in the [API](https://github.com/getbubblenow/bubble-docs/blob/master/api/README.md)
+
+### Cloud Services
+A bubble will either delegate cloud services back to the launcher that created it,
+or use the cloud services directly itself.
+
+If you don't want your cloud credentials stored in your node, use delegated cloud services.
+
+Alternatively, if you're starting a launcher or don't want cloud services mediated via a launcher,
+you'll want your Bubble to call cloud services directly.
+
+# Launch Types in Detail
+Bubble supports the following launch types:
+  
+## Regular
+  * **Packer Image**: `node`
+  * **Mode**: `node` (cloud)
+  * **Cloud Services**: delegated to the `sage` that launched it
+  * **Scenario**: Launching regular Bubbles from a Remote Launcher
+
+## Fork Launcher
+  * **Packer Image**: `sage`
+  * **Mode**: `sage`
+  * **Cloud Services**: cloned from launcher, called directly
+  * **Scenario**: Creating a Remote Launcher from a Local Launcher
+
+## Fork Bubble
+  * **Packer Image**: `node`
+  * **Mode**: `node` (standalone)
+  * **Cloud Services**: cloned from launcher, called directly
+  * **Scenario**: Creating a standalone Bubble with no ties to any launcher
+
+### Local Launchers
+A [Local Launcher](local-launcher.md) is a special case, since it bootstraps everything else.
+
+Nonetheless, using the same bullet points as above can be informative:
+ 
+## Local Launcher
+  * **Packer Image**: none
+  * **Mode**: `sage`
+  * **Cloud Services**: supplied during [activation](activation.md), called directly
+  * **Scenario**: The first step before launching a proper Bubble

docs/packer.md

@@ -21,15 +21,8 @@ A `sage` image is for deploying new Bubbles in Launcher mode. A launcher is call
 
 A `node` image is for deploying new Bubbles in Node mode. A regular Bubble that acts as a VPN for devices is called a `node` in the Bubble API.
 
-Bubble will automatically use the appropriate image type based on the Launch Type.
-
-### Setting the Launch Type
-#### Via Web UI
-On the Bubble launch screen, click the "Launch with Advanced Settings" link.
-The first drop-down option is "Bubble Type".
-
-#### Via the API
-When using the API, set the `launchType` property in the JSON  object that creates the Bubble. 
+Bubble will automatically use the appropriate image type based on the [Launch Type](launch-types.md)
+in effect for each launch.
 
 ## Launching a Bubble while Packer Images are Building
 If you try to launch a Bubble before the required packer image is ready,