Re: Lose the tagline (permanently)

[James]

Hello Abraham,

On 23/02/16 12:56, Abraham Lee wrote:
> Dear Dev team,
>
> I don't know if this discussion has come up before, but I thought I'd bring
> something up that's been on my mind. I'd like to propose that we remove the
> tagline variable (or at least its default value). For a while now (and
> spurred on by some recent comments on other forums), I've felt that the
> automatic presence of the tagline "Music engraving by LilyPond
> X.Y.Z--www.lilypond.org" is annoying, a little bit cocky and a real
> turn-off to those who don't use LP. Naturally, it attracts attention, but
> shouldn't the engraving quality of the score speak for itself?
>
> In any new score I create, it has become second nature for me to set
> tagline = ##f because it gets in the way of the finished product. I don't
> even think about it anymore, I just do it. I think this is also true for
> most other power users. However, for those who are new, those who use it
> occasionally, casually, etc., they may not think to turn this off in their
> scores and users of other programs don't take them seriously. Instead of
> the LP user implying "My score looks better than yours because I used LP to
> do it," I'd rather have it be the non-LP user thinking "Wow! That looks so
> good! What program did they use?" and then come to learn it was done with
> LP. I say that because I've experienced both and the latter is way more
> fulfilling (and door-opening) than the first.
>
> Am I the only one who feels this way? I realize that the tagline has had a
> specific purpose, but I don't really think I've seen another program do
> anything like it--and for good reason. As a comparison, if LibreOffice
> (which I use all the time), or better yet, Microsoft Office, automatically
> put in their own tagline at the bottom of the last page of a document, I'D
> GO CRAZY and immediately search to find out how to turn it off permanently.
> I wouldn't want to have to turn it off for each document. That would get
> old real quick. Get the program out of the way and let the music do the
> talking. That's all I'm saying.
>
> I'm not saying we should necessarily do away with the variable altogether,
> but just have no default value unless the user wants one there like all the
> other header variables. I can see that having something like the current
> default value printed to the page during regression tests could be useful,
> but really, what's the point anywhere else? I'm not sure what prompted
> Han-wen or Jan or whoever to set a default value to it, but I wonder if
> it's time for it to go?
>
> Just some thoughts. I love the quality of LP scores. Removing the default
> tagline value would make it even more professional (to me, at least), even
> for the budding new users. Feel free to shoot now. What do you all think
> about my proposal?
I think it should stay, we document how to turn it off. I always leave
mine in. I might tweak the size or change the text slightly but only that.

It is not that offensive, and actually in my own opinion having used it
for scores in an orchestra I used to play in when I did disable it, I
was asked if I used Sibelius or Finale to produce the scores.

So I left it back in and it generated a bit of interest.

Were we a huge FOSS project the size of Libre Office or MS Word - which
by the way pops up a huge MS Word Screen Flash every time I run the
program (that I cannot turn off) then I could possibly see the point.

I don't see it as cocky or a turn-off. It is what it is, and I expect
that Music Publishers also have their own 'tagline' on every page of a
score they produce - if only as a copyright, but often with their own
name on it. What is the difference there?

I am quite proud when I see that tagline on any score I 'find in the wild'.

Historically see:
http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/lilypond-devel/2005-02/msg00279.html

James