diff --git a/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/widgets/widget.js b/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/widgets/widget.js
index 2b3c2f6d0..3c5664799 100644
--- a/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/widgets/widget.js
+++ b/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/widgets/widget.js
@@ -269,8 +269,13 @@ function(widget_manager, underscore, backbone){
         },
     
         update: function () {
-            // the very first update seems to happen before the element is finished rendering
-            // so we use setTimeout to give the element time to render
+            // Update the contents of this view
+            //
+            // Called when the model is changed.  The model may have been 
+            // changed by another view or by a state update from the back-end.
+            //      The very first update seems to happen before the element is 
+            // finished rendering so we use setTimeout to give the element time 
+            // to render
             var e = this.$el;
             var visible = this.model.get('visible');
             setTimeout(function() {e.toggle(visible)},0);
diff --git a/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/widgets/widget_bool.js b/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/widgets/widget_bool.js
index be090ac09..334ebd500 100644
--- a/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/widgets/widget_bool.js
+++ b/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/widgets/widget_bool.js
@@ -44,9 +44,11 @@ define(["notebook/js/widgets/widget"], function(widget_manager){
             this.update(); // Set defaults.
         },
         
-        // Handles: Backend -> Frontend Sync
-        //          Frontent -> Frontend Sync
         update : function(){
+            // Update the contents of this view
+            //
+            // Called when the model is changed.  The model may have been 
+            // changed by another view or by a state update from the back-end.
             if (!this.user_invoked_update) {
                 this.$checkbox.prop('checked', this.model.get('value'));
 
@@ -84,9 +86,11 @@ define(["notebook/js/widgets/widget"], function(widget_manager){
             this.update(); // Set defaults.
         },
         
-        // Handles: Backend -> Frontend Sync
-        //          Frontent -> Frontend Sync
         update : function(){
+            // Update the contents of this view
+            //
+            // Called when the model is changed.  The model may have been 
+            // changed by another view or by a state update from the back-end.
             if (!this.user_invoked_update) {
                 if (this.model.get('value')) {
                     this.$button.addClass('active');
diff --git a/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/widgets/widget_button.js b/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/widgets/widget_button.js
index 60d535f85..9d751554f 100644
--- a/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/widgets/widget_button.js
+++ b/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/widgets/widget_button.js
@@ -30,9 +30,11 @@ define(["notebook/js/widgets/widget"], function(widget_manager){
             this.update(); // Set defaults.
         },
         
-        // Handles: Backend -> Frontend Sync
-        //          Frontent -> Frontend Sync
         update : function(){
+            // Update the contents of this view
+            //
+            // Called when the model is changed.  The model may have been 
+            // changed by another view or by a state update from the back-end.
             var description = this.model.get('description');
             description = description.replace(/ /g, ' ', 'm');
             description = description.replace(/\n/g, '<br>\n', 'm');
diff --git a/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/widgets/widget_container.js b/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/widgets/widget_container.js
index c04b29675..9f49da6fc 100644
--- a/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/widgets/widget_container.js
+++ b/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/widgets/widget_container.js
@@ -69,6 +69,10 @@ define(["notebook/js/widgets/widget"], function(widget_manager) {
         },
         
         update: function(){
+            // Update the contents of this view
+            //
+            // Called when the model is changed.  The model may have been 
+            // changed by another view or by a state update from the back-end.
             set_flex_properties(this, this.$el);
             return IPython.DOMWidgetView.prototype.update.call(this);
         },
@@ -225,6 +229,10 @@ define(["notebook/js/widgets/widget"], function(widget_manager) {
         },
         
         update: function(){
+            // Update the contents of this view
+            //
+            // Called when the model is changed.  The model may have been 
+            // changed by another view or by a state update from the back-end.
             set_flex_properties(this, this.$body);
             
             var description = this.model.get('description');
diff --git a/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/widgets/widget_image.js b/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/widgets/widget_image.js
index e72010af4..03456d8f2 100644
--- a/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/widgets/widget_image.js
+++ b/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/widgets/widget_image.js
@@ -26,9 +26,11 @@ define(["notebook/js/widgets/widget"], function(widget_manager){
             this.update(); // Set defaults.
         },
         
-        // Handles: Backend -> Frontend Sync
-        //          Frontent -> Frontend Sync
         update : function(){
+            // Update the contents of this view
+            //
+            // Called when the model is changed.  The model may have been 
+            // changed by another view or by a state update from the back-end.
             var image_src = 'data:image/' + this.model.get('image_format') + ';base64,' + this.model.get('_b64value');
             this.$el.attr('src', image_src);
             
diff --git a/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/widgets/widget_multicontainer.js b/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/widgets/widget_multicontainer.js
index d4781e7fa..8dc835454 100644
--- a/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/widgets/widget_multicontainer.js
+++ b/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/widgets/widget_multicontainer.js
@@ -45,6 +45,11 @@ define(["notebook/js/widgets/widget"], function(widget_manager){
         
 
         update: function() {
+            // Update the contents of this view
+            //
+            // Called when the model is changed.  The model may have been 
+            // changed by another view or by a state update from the back-end.
+
             // Set tab titles
             var titles = this.model.get('_titles');
             for (var page_index in titles) {
@@ -153,6 +158,11 @@ define(["notebook/js/widgets/widget"], function(widget_manager){
         },
 
         update: function() {
+            // Update the contents of this view
+            //
+            // Called when the model is changed.  The model may have been 
+            // changed by another view or by a state update from the back-end.
+            
             // Set tab titles
             var titles = this.model.get('_titles');
             for (var page_index in titles) {
diff --git a/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/widgets/widget_selection.js b/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/widgets/widget_selection.js
index 02ad8ef7c..80893afb3 100644
--- a/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/widgets/widget_selection.js
+++ b/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/widgets/widget_selection.js
@@ -55,9 +55,11 @@ define(["notebook/js/widgets/widget"], function(widget_manager){
             this.update();
         },
         
-        // Handles: Backend -> Frontend Sync
-        //          Frontent -> Frontend Sync
         update : function(){
+            // Update the contents of this view
+            //
+            // Called when the model is changed.  The model may have been 
+            // changed by another view or by a state update from the back-end.
 
             var selected_item_text = this.model.get('value');
             selected_item_text = selected_item_text.replace(/ /g, '&nbsp;');
@@ -129,9 +131,11 @@ define(["notebook/js/widgets/widget"], function(widget_manager){
             this.update();
         },
         
-        // Handles: Backend -> Frontend Sync
-        //          Frontent -> Frontend Sync
         update : function(){
+            // Update the contents of this view
+            //
+            // Called when the model is changed.  The model may have been 
+            // changed by another view or by a state update from the back-end.
             
             // Add missing items to the DOM.
             var items = this.model.get('values');
@@ -216,9 +220,11 @@ define(["notebook/js/widgets/widget"], function(widget_manager){
             this.update();
         },
         
-        // Handles: Backend -> Frontend Sync
-        //          Frontent -> Frontend Sync
         update : function(){
+            // Update the contents of this view
+            //
+            // Called when the model is changed.  The model may have been 
+            // changed by another view or by a state update from the back-end.
             
             // Add missing items to the DOM.
             var items = this.model.get('values');
@@ -298,9 +304,11 @@ define(["notebook/js/widgets/widget"], function(widget_manager){
             this.update();
         },
         
-        // Handles: Backend -> Frontend Sync
-        //          Frontent -> Frontend Sync
         update : function(){
+            // Update the contents of this view
+            //
+            // Called when the model is changed.  The model may have been 
+            // changed by another view or by a state update from the back-end.
             
             // Add missing items to the DOM.
             var items = this.model.get('values');
diff --git a/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/widgets/widget_string.js b/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/widgets/widget_string.js
index d8e51067b..9384fa241 100644
--- a/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/widgets/widget_string.js
+++ b/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/widgets/widget_string.js
@@ -25,9 +25,11 @@ define(["notebook/js/widgets/widget"], function(widget_manager){
             this.update(); // Set defaults.
         },
         
-        // Handles: Backend -> Frontend Sync
-        //          Frontent -> Frontend Sync
         update : function(){
+            // Update the contents of this view
+            //
+            // Called when the model is changed.  The model may have been 
+            // changed by another view or by a state update from the back-end.
             this.$el.html(this.model.get('value'));
             return IPython.DOMWidgetView.prototype.update.call(this);
         },
@@ -44,9 +46,11 @@ define(["notebook/js/widgets/widget"], function(widget_manager){
             this.update(); // Set defaults.
         },
         
-        // Handles: Backend -> Frontend Sync
-        //          Frontent -> Frontend Sync
         update : function(){
+            // Update the contents of this view
+            //
+            // Called when the model is changed.  The model may have been 
+            // changed by another view or by a state update from the back-end.
             this.$el.html(this.model.get('value'));
             MathJax.Hub.Queue(["Typeset",MathJax.Hub,this.$el.get(0)]);
 
@@ -91,9 +95,11 @@ define(["notebook/js/widgets/widget"], function(widget_manager){
         },
 
         
-        // Handles: Backend -> Frontend Sync
-        //          Frontent -> Frontend Sync
         update: function(){
+            // Update the contents of this view
+            //
+            // Called when the model is changed.  The model may have been 
+            // changed by another view or by a state update from the back-end.
             if (!this.user_invoked_update) {
                 this.$textbox.val(this.model.get('value'));
             }
@@ -145,9 +151,11 @@ define(["notebook/js/widgets/widget"], function(widget_manager){
             this.update(); // Set defaults.
         },
         
-        // Handles: Backend -> Frontend Sync
-        //          Frontent -> Frontend Sync
         update: function(){
+            // Update the contents of this view
+            //
+            // Called when the model is changed.  The model may have been 
+            // changed by another view or by a state update from the back-end.
             if (this.$textbox.val() != this.model.get('value')) {
                 this.$textbox.val(this.model.get('value'));
             }