Re: Supporting my work on LilyPond financially

[Kieren MacMillan]

Hi Jan,

> This is *exactly* why I've been playing/experimenting with GUI
> backends/frontends since 2004.  If you haven't done so, please have
> a look at Schikkers List
> 
>    http://lilypond.org/schikkers
> 
> and come help me out!  If only to lure people over to LilyPond,
> increase its potential user base.

I looked at Schikkers List a year or so ago — it didn’t seem nearly 
feature-rich enough to convert anyone, so I didn’t look any further.
After things calm down around here (ca. Feb), I’ll give it a fresh look.

>> (so that users *never* have to see Lilypond “code”); or
> and this is what I don't understand. […]
> I have ideas but do not quite understand how people choose to use computers.

Consider the tab ruler in Microsoft Word. The world’s simplest feature to use 
in one of the world’s most idiot-proof GUI-based applications, right? And yet 
nearly 100% of the documents I get from people simply have multiple tab 
characters used to push text “over to the right”. When I’m given the task of 
formatting a document someone else inputted, my first task is almost always to 
convert those tabs to single tabs with tab stops in the ruler.

Why is this true?
Because people want to use computers to get things done with the least possible 
effort UP FRONT.
People want computers to make their lives simpler — end of story.

Except for fringe cases (e.g., automated github-y workflows on multiple 
editions, etc.), Lilypond code makes 99.9% of engraving tasks 99.9% more 
difficult (at least UP FRONT) for 99.9% of the people who use engraving 
software at all — or at least that’s the appearance, and really that’s all that 
matters.

We can be confused all day about why our favourite tool(s) don’t run the world… 
but it’s pretty clear why, if you actually take the time to put yourself in the 
mindset of the vast majority of computer users.

Cheers,
Kieren.