How to get it working.

[Sarah Cordish]

Sirs:

I have spent hours trying to get Lilypond downloaded and working on my 3
systems: Win98, WinXP, and Mandrake Linux 10.0.

Win 98 the Python hung up; but I got the test to run once.  When I copied a
score example to try something more I got errors (lilylib missing or Bash
won't run the Lilypond source).

WinXP saves Lilypond input code as *.txt, no matter what; and I can't get it
to calm down.  The downloaded test file worked because WinXP didn't name it.
WinXP also has a thing about calling Adobe Reader and wants to install the
Windows Journal Reader, which I don't have on my computer.  That way it
kills the Adobe start-up.  The Lilypond log says: error this error that,
etc.

Mandrake lets me upload Thac's RPM's and install Lilypond. The Joe text
editor is awful; is there a better one?  After much fooling I got a Lilypond
code on a Joe file in my home folder.  I called Lilypond from a terminal and
gave the full filename before it could find it, then it says stuff like
Dvips doesn't work, Adobe isn't around, error, scream, yell.  I tried this
from start many times and spent a whole day on it.  I know the Adobe reader
is installed; I can call it myself.

Can you direct me?  I tried to follow your instructions for installing the
stable version of Lilypond and re-installed it a few times from the
Internet.  I don't know what else to try.

Sarah Cordish
Musician about to give up.