future features

[David Bobroff]

I've recently converted some Finale ETF files using etf2ly.  As
advertised, etf2ly converts "some" of the file.  It doesn't handle empty
measures, for example (this is a documented limitation).  Also, I got
some skips in the file, many of which occured immediately after a group
of empty bars.  No doubt this is related to the incomplete handling of
empty bars.  While this was slightly tedious to repair it was a couple
of orders of magnitude better than keying in the entire file by hand.

Question: Are there plans for more complete conversion of ETF files in
the near future (by version 2.0 for example)?

COLOR -- I checked the achives and saw some discussion about color
support in LilyPond.  One topic was "Vienna" style scores with blue
repeat bars and red Segnos (this I had never heard of).  The other had
to do with Gregorian chant notation with red staff lines etc.  This is
more the kind of color support I'm curious about.  A friend of mine has
been working on a mass that was found in old Icelandic manuscripts.  At
first he was working by hand but now is using a computer.  He is using a
set of fonts called "Meinrad" which are used in a word processor. 
Setting the text beneath the neumes is a matter of trial-and-error with
spaces etc.  But he can colorize various elements.

With the advances being made on the neumes in LilyPond it may be that it
will be ready for "prime time" in the near future.  With the addition of
color capabilities (for staff lines, early flat and natural signs,
lyrics, etc.) it would be a boon to those working on such a project.

-David Bobroff