Re: Quit [now definitely O/T]

[David Kastrup]

Jan Nieuwenhuizen <address@hidden> writes:

> Op donderdag 12-11-2009 om 08:41 uur [tijdzone +0100], schreef David
> Kastrup:
>> Carl Sorensen <address@hidden> writes:
>
>> _Addressing_ the actual problems is definitely more suitably done on the
>> developer list.
>
> So what are the actual problems?

The actual problem is the payoff.  If I can write "just music", it means
I can freely rearrange my material and reread it.  One example is
transposition or augmentation: manual text changes and accent placements
will then tend to fall apart.

> Is LilyPond really too difficult?

Depends on the tasks.  Simple common tasks should be simple and
straightforward, and a sizeable subset of those isn't.

> Do we rely too much on crufty input-language solutions?

We don't rely on them.  LSR is not a part of Lilypond.  Every hack in
LSR is a hack too much.  That's why I proposed that a lot of LSR
snippets would become more inspirational by adding a variant "this is
how one would write this snippet in an ideal world".

> Maybe it's just that we are not tempting enough to be used.  I cannot
> imagine that OP would have stopped with a frustating message to
> sibelius-user after having paid $$$$ for the program?

Why not?  People try out and forget about software all the time.

> That would mean he basically threw away that money.

At some point of time, that's what you do.

> Quitting with LilyPond seems to cost him nothing.  He only gets uglier
> scores and does not care about the end result, maintainability,
> shareability, or the social impact/implications of spending money on
> proprietary software as opposed to devising and documenting solutions
> for a free software?
>
> How about a frogs project to make our image sexier?

You could start by not writing paragraphs like the one before your
question.  Name-calling people who do not manage to make Lilypond fit
their bill gets us nowhere.  It also stifles people from giving
feedback.  If people don't share your exact set of values, that does not
make them unsuitable for contributing.

Freedom is not something to be reserved for freedom-fighters.  That's
not its point.

-- 
David Kastrup