Re: new website: second draft

[Tim McNamara]

On Jun 24, 2009, at 7:47 PM, Mark Polesky wrote:

> Jonathan Kulp wrote:
> > I like the new website, Graham.  The crash course is excellent,  
> > although I
> > question whether it's good to have lyrics like "Lily, got me on my  
> > knees."
> > (Whew!)
>
> Actually, as much as *I* like the joke, I'm afraid I agree with Jon.
> Many the get the joke might chuckle, but those that don't might just
> be disturbed. For a moment I thought of suggesting to change it to
>
> Lily, I'm begging, darling please.
>
> But now, I don't know, that might be pushing it too.
> Curious to know other's thoughts.
>
> Also, just to respond to a previous comment, I do *NOT* think the
> crash course is overwhelming. If we pare it down too much, it's going
> to elicit thoughts of "can I do anything other than Twinkle Twinkle
> Little Star?"

As a recent newbie, please allow me to offer a little feedback on  
this:  the crash course is overwhelming.  IMHO the newbie crashes  
into the bottom the the abrupt and nearly vertical learning curve  
presented there. I tried it back in the 2.10 days and didn't come  
back to try again until 2.12.  I wonder how many other newbies we  
have lost in the same way.  LilyPond's input method looks like  
computer programming and not music, and most musicians are not  
computer programmers.  So IMHO we have to find ways to ease them into  
it and not scare them off.

Learning to use LilyPond is like learning to use Emacs.  Lots of  
power, which comes at the price of a bit of work to learn how to use  
it.  IMHO most newbies should not see the crash course until after  
they have seen the introductions in the LM.  I plan to have a look  
through the LM again and make some suggestions for changes to the  
documentation that would have helped me get into it more quickly and  
easily, in hopes that those things would help others in the same  
way.  Maybe it will end up being the "Pre-Learning Manual Manual."