Re: A thought on Windows Experience

[David Kastrup]

David Kastrup <address@hidden> writes:

> Richard Shann <address@hidden> writes:
>
>> On Mon, 2013-12-09 at 09:52 +0100, David Kastrup wrote:
>>
>>> Denemo: this is a GUI application for writing music scores that uses
>>> LilyPond internally for creating its output.  While working with it,
>>> you will not be exposed to the LilyPond language at all,
>>
>> This is incorrect. If you double click on a note, repeat bar ... you
>> are told the LilyPond syntax that this element has created. If you
>> switch to the LilyPond view of the Denemo score you see the LilyPond
>> syntax and can edit it. There are some limitations still in that
>> editing (e.g.  changing a note to a different note is still not
>> possible, and there is no syntax highlighting, but you can re-write
>> entirely the score layout starting from the default).
>
> Ok ok, I guess I'll get the Midi-equipped accordion from the storage,
> see whether any contacts are stuck, install a current version of Denemo
> and get myself informed.

_Very_ frustrating and unusable.  Complains about missing libraries when
starting but those are available in Ubuntu.

Opens what feels like dozens of overlapping windows you first need to
cleanup.  Refuses to compile anything, stating in the print preview
window that LilyPond can't compile stuff (there is a version of LilyPond
in the path).  One can open the LilyPond source file window (looks like
it should work in 2.19.0), but Denemo refuses to open the "LilyPond
error" window.  So it is impossible to figure out _why_ compilation
fails.  On stderr, there is a flurry of messages like

** (denemo:6378): WARNING **: Trying to read the pdf file 
file:///tmp/DenemoneMNfd/denemoprintA.pdf gave an error: Error opening file: No 
such file or directory

starting to generate LilyPond

finished generating LilyPond

** (denemo:6378): WARNING **: Trying to read the pdf file 
file:///tmp/DenemoneMNfd/denemoprintB.pdf gave an error: Error opening file: No 
such file or directory

starting to generate LilyPond

finished generating LilyPond

** (denemo:6378): WARNING **: Trying to read the pdf file 
file:///tmp/DenemoneMNfd/denemoprintA.pdf gave an error: Error opening file: No 
such file or directory
Switched to Default Score Layout

finished generating LilyPond

** (denemo:6378): WARNING **: Trying to read the pdf file 
file:///tmp/DenemoneMNfd/denemoprintB.pdf gave an error: Error opening file: No 
such file or directory

starting to generate LilyPond

finished generating LilyPond

** (denemo:6378): WARNING **: Trying to read the pdf file 
file:///tmp/DenemoneMNfd/denemoprintA.pdf gave an error: Error opening file: No 
such file or directory

starting to generate LilyPond

finished generating LilyPond

** (denemo:6378): WARNING **: Trying to read the pdf file 
file:///tmp/DenemoneMNfd/denemoprintB.pdf gave an error: Error opening file: No 
such file or directory

starting to generate LilyPond

finished generating LilyPond

** (denemo:6378): WARNING **: Trying to read the pdf file 
file:///tmp/DenemoneMNfd/denemoprintA.pdf gave an error: Error opening file: No 
such file or directory

starting to generate LilyPond

finished generating LilyPond


which is probably related to the problem in some kind: there is no
directory DenemooneMNfd anywhere and I don't see why it should.

This was using the Denemo 1.1 installer for GNU/Linux from the Denemo
download page, on an Ubuntu 13.10 installation.

It seems pretty much unusable.  I can enter notes, but I don't get
anywhere with trying to generate output.  The print preview has several
buttons labelled things like "Print" and other, and it is totally
unclear what they will actually do.  Pressing them does not cause any
effect (apart from error messages on stderr).

So much for the binary install.  I am not too enthused about the
prospect of having to compile from source just to be able to test basic
functionality and possibly get a better clue about the intended startup
behavior.

-- 
David Kastrup