User-interface (was Re: mac lion)

[Wim van Dommelen]

Commends on the user-interface:

Some time ago I tried to get Frescobaldi running, but didn't succeed. Too much dependencies and version conflicts and requests for some versions which are explicitly requested but don't exist anymore. However, it works on my Ubuntu-machine from the box and I would love to run it on the Mac also.

My recommendation: On my Mac I do use TeXShop. It is only one small file to integrate these two. Each Lilypond-file can be set separatedly or with a standard Unix first-line (actually two lines:

%!TEX TS-program = Lilypond

%!TEX encoding = UTF-8 Unicode

) which TeXShop recognizes and acts upon. These are in my standard files from which I start. Syntax is highlighted, lines are numbered for error-reporting, etc.

TeXShop also recognizes each and every version of LilyPond coming out. I just take the new compiled binary, drop in in my Utilities folder of Applications and bing new version is active. I can even run as many different older versions in parallel as I want, so if anything is wrong or not as I like it to be, I easily rename the files and TeXShop does it.

To be honest: I've never taken the trouble (just my laziness) to change the point-and-click interface so it would work with TeXShop. I really should look into that some time. Final compile (needs one file on the command-line! documented properly!) is just excluding that feature with the -dno-point-and-click.

My explicit thanks to everyone who takes part in the development, be it the real coders, analysts, documentation writers, facilitators. LilyPond is a true great program. My personal goal is to avoid any "tweaks" for regular work (barok, brassband, small ensembles, etc.), let LilyPond do it all and I then just enjoy the result. 99% works perfect in that way. I sometimes see elaborate discussions on how to accomplish some thing, but let's not forget the default rather intelligent engine-power of LilyPond behind it.

Many regards,

Wim.

P.S.: When I show the results to fellow musicians really everybody likes it. But nobody wants to type text, most of them shun away from typing a command like "\appoggiatura" (two p's, two g's!). They don't know what they are missing. That "command-line fear" as I call it will still be the biggest hurdle in wider acceptance. I have referred some people for example to Scorio recently, to try. But people are so afraid it will not be supported by MShit that they condemm themselves to MShit completly in the first place. (Sorry, this remark just barfed up :-)

P.P.S.: Small anecdote (and then I'll stop, promised): I was on a Barok music week last year and halfway the week something turned out to be wrong in the scores: wrong piece selected, not the right level for the attendees. We found out after three days and the instructor was lossed and wanted to cancel our ensemble (9 persons, no pro's except the instructor). In and after a discussion he showed me some IMSLP score (in a standard C transposition) he would like to do. Downloaded and printed locally, some of the instruments were transposing (the clarinet family) so he was really stuck. Reading and transposing live was not an option for the participants. I borrow his printed score (8 pages, 4 instruments, 2 to transpose), borrowed a laptop for two hours from somebody else, used Notepad to type my music notes, saved it on my USB stick. After dinner and some other things I drove home (30 minutes), started my Mac, took a standard file for all the headings, changed title and composer. Imported the notes from my USB stick, corrected two typos and 10 minutes later just before midnight my printer woke up. Next day we rehearsed and played it. That's flexibility I like.

On 13 Sep 2012, at 01:09 , macula wrote:

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