diff --git a/mu4e/mu4e-proc.el b/mu4e/mu4e-proc.el
index 1457de19..3b7cea4d 100644
--- a/mu4e/mu4e-proc.el
+++ b/mu4e/mu4e-proc.el
@@ -90,14 +90,13 @@ the length (in hex).")
     mu4e~proc-process nil
     mu4e~proc-buf nil))
 
-(defun mu4e~proc-is-running ()
+(defun mu4e~proc-running-p  ()
   "Whether the mu process is running."
   (when (and mu4e~proc-process
 	  (memq (process-status mu4e~proc-process)
 	    '(run open listen connect stop)))
     t))
 
-
 (defsubst mu4e~proc-eat-sexp-from-buf ()
   "'Eat' the next s-expression from `mu4e~proc-buf'. Note: this is a string,
 not an emacs-buffer. `mu4e~proc-buf gets its contents from the
@@ -293,7 +292,7 @@ terminates."
 
 (defsubst mu4e~proc-send-command (frm &rest args)
   "Send as command to the mu server process; start the process if needed."
-  (unless (mu4e~proc-is-running)
+  (unless (mu4e~proc-running-p)
     (mu4e~proc-start))
   (let ((cmd (apply 'format frm args)))
     (mu4e-log 'to-server "%s" cmd)
diff --git a/mu4e/mu4e-utils.el b/mu4e/mu4e-utils.el
index f0ff52de..280bb1d0 100644
--- a/mu4e/mu4e-utils.el
+++ b/mu4e/mu4e-utils.el
@@ -580,17 +580,20 @@ This is used by the completion function in mu4e-compose."
 	  (mu4e-error "%s (%S) does not exist" path var))))))
 
 
+(defun mu4e-running-p ()
+  "Whether mu4e is running -- that is, the server process is live."
+  (mu4e~proc-running-p))
+
 (defun mu4e~start (&optional func)
   "If mu4e is already running, execute function FUNC (if non-nil). Otherwise,
 check various requirements, then start mu4e. When succesful, call
 FUNC (if non-nil) afterwards."
   ;; if we're already running, simply go to the main view
-  (if (mu4e~proc-is-running)   ;; already running?
+  (if (mu4e-running-p)   ;; already running?
     (when func                 ;; yes! run func if defined
       (funcall func))
     (progn
       ;; no! do some checks, set up pong handler and ping the server
-
       (lexical-let ((func func))
 	(mu4e~check-requirements)
 	;; set up the 'pong' handler func
@@ -635,7 +638,8 @@ FUNC (if non-nil) afterwards."
   (mapcar
     (lambda (buf)
       (with-current-buffer buf
-	(when (member major-mode '(mu4e-headers-mode mu4e-view-mode mu4e-main-mode))
+	(when (member major-mode
+		'(mu4e-headers-mode mu4e-view-mode mu4e-main-mode))
 	  (kill-buffer))))
     (buffer-list)))
 
@@ -667,7 +671,7 @@ into the process buffer."
                                        (read-passwd mu4e~get-mail-ask-password)
                                        "\n"))
            ;; TODO kill process?
-          (error "Get-mail process requires a password but was not called interactively")))
+          (error "Get-mail process requires a password")))
       (when (process-buffer proc)
         (insert msg)))))
 
diff --git a/mu4e/mu4e.texi b/mu4e/mu4e.texi
index ebdc4d0b..ca83b198 100644
--- a/mu4e/mu4e.texi
+++ b/mu4e/mu4e.texi
@@ -1030,16 +1030,17 @@ configuration, so it is used for images.
 @section Displaying rich-text messages
 
 For displaying messages, @t{mu4e} normally prefers the plain-text version for
-messages consisting of both a plain-text and an html (rich-text) version of
+messages that consist of both a plain-text and an html (rich-text) version of
 its body-text.
 
 If there is only an html-version, or if the plain-text version is too short in
-comparison with the html part, @t{mu4e} tries to convert the html into
-plain-text for display. The default way to do that is to use the @t{emacs}
-built-in @code{html2text} function. However, you can set the variable
-@code{mu4e-html2text-command} to some external program, which is then used
-instead. This program is expected to take html from standard input and write
-plain text in @t{utf-8} encoding on standard output.
+comparison with the html part@footnote{this is for the case where the
+text-part only says that all the content is in the html-part}, @t{mu4e} tries
+to convert the html into plain-text for display. The default way to do that is
+to use the @t{emacs} built-in @code{html2text} function. However, you can set
+the variable @code{mu4e-html2text-command} to some external program, which is
+then used instead. This program is expected to take html from standard input
+and write plain text in @t{utf-8} encoding on standard output.
 
 An obvious choice for this is the program that is actually @emph{called}
 @t{html2text}@footnote{@url{http://www.mbayer.de/html2text/}}, which you can
@@ -2769,6 +2770,8 @@ The user is now presented with:
 @item @code{mu4e-ask-maildir}: ask for a maildir; try one of the
 shortcuts (@code{mu4e-maildir-shortcuts}), or the full set of available
 maildirs.
+@item @code{mu4e-running-p}: return @code{t} if the @t{mu4e} process is
+running, @code{nil} otherwise.
 @item @code{mu4e-log} logs to the @t{mu4e} debugging log if it is enabled; see @code{mu4e-toggle-logging}.
 @item @code{mu4e-message}, @code{mu4e-warning}, @code{mu4e-error} are the
 @t{mu4e} smart equivalents of the normal @t{elisp} @code{message},
@@ -2782,8 +2785,8 @@ functions.
 @node How it works
 @appendix How it works
 
-While not necessarily interesting for all users of @t{mu4e}, for some it may
-be interesting to know how @t{mu4e} does its job.
+While perhaps not interesting for all users of @t{mu4e}, some curious souls
+may want to know how @t{mu4e} does its job.
 
 @menu
 * High-level overview::
@@ -2795,7 +2798,7 @@ be interesting to know how @t{mu4e} does its job.
 @node High-level overview
 @section High-level overview
 
-On a high level, we can summarize the structure of the @t{mu4e} system using
+At a high level, we can summarize the structure of the @t{mu4e} system using
 some ascii-art:
 
 @example