Re: Bravura in LilyPond

[David Kastrup]

Urs Liska <address@hidden> writes:

> Am 22.12.2013 21:53, schrieb David Kastrup:
>
>> Well, if you take a look at things like
>> <URL:http://code.google.com/p/lilypond/issues/detail?id=3723>, the
>> amount of feedback is, uh, underwhelming.  It focuses on indentation
>> (I have to admit, though, that I had forgotten about Werner
>> expressing his opinion that this is a move in the right direction).
>>
>> Since the patch series _vastly_ simplifies the grammar while
>> extending and regularizing its functionality, this is somewhat
>> amusing.  But then it is not entirely unexpected.
>
> This is an example of what I wrote in an earlier message. When you see
> this patch and its description (if you see it) its easy not to realize
> its potential because it looks daunting.

Actually, the lines it _removes_ look more daunting than the lines it
adds.

> While reading this on the current thread I got the impression this
> patch may really be something fundamental, but I don't really see how
> this applies. And I don't have the slightest idea about contributing
> some substantial comments.

Well, that's exactly the "but then it is not entirely unexpected" bit.
Now something like opening the possibilities to use new fonts is nice to
have, but the importance is mostly felt by _users_.  I'm probably one of
the busiest core developers, and in all honesty I don't even have the
time to make significant use of the Emmentaler font.  I spend much more
time working _on_ LilyPond than _with_ LilyPond.

And the typical user is more concerned with getting LilyPond to do what
he wants that he has much excitement to spare for getting it to do what
he wants in a different way.

Now making LilyPond suitable to work with multiple fonts smoothly is
important: no question about that.  But for many, this importance does
not equate to an immediate need for themselves.  And at some point of
time, we need to develop general ways to solve this problem, and several
one-font hacks may help in surveying the problem space, but there is
still someone who then needs to work on a general solution.

And in the long run, it will mostly be those who _personally_ care about
a particular issue who will drive work on it forward, either by doing
most of it themselves or by convincing others to work on it, possibly
postponing other things for that.

Yes, that may be frustrating.

-- 
David Kastrup