On Wednesday 24 January 2001 01:00, you wrote:
> Laura:
> >> The reason the guitar chord notation got co-opted for text annotations
> >> is that many, many users needed a text annotation of some kind.
>
> Bryan:
> > No. This is a reason for developing a text annotation system, not a
> > reason for co-opting the guitar chord notation. Couldn't they have
> > developed something new instead of messing up something that already
> > existed?
Dead right! The best thing about abc is being able to write out single
line melodies with `a violence Tulloch' type chord accompaniment
-- as a demo for the band.
If it can't do that, is no use to me (for a start).
> This particular user doesn't give a damn about conflicts with the guitar
> chord syntax because I never need to write guitar chordings (and usually
> remove them from other people's ABC before using it myself).
Not a bad idea really -but if one has a
guitarist who keeps asking - `tis a mighty handy thing to be able to do!
On the other hand, since we seldom need to notate the peculiar trills
used by a zambian nose-bagpipe-flautist, we (along with many others)
feel no pressing need for such a facility.
> Developers are *not* the only people who get a say in what ABC ought
> to be, or what it should be used for.
O yes they are! all the Linux software for abc is FREE,
so I think nobody has the right to ask the `developers' to do ANYTHING.
- without paying them that is!
If someone makes a deal with me to do a programming job, then I do it
the way they want it for pay - but not otherwise.
If I program for myself - then I do EXACTLY what I want - and i would
be surprised of most developers do not do just the same.
There are quite a lot of composition packages around already - some
of them shareware. Would it not be better to keep abc simple
and concentrate on providing means of importing / exporting abc
to some of these packages? - by providing parsing routines for
selected shareware authors for ex.
That way, abc can still be used to `sketch' the music & express
the salient points, whilst adding the `bells and whistles' using
something else that CAN ALREADY do it...
This could of course, result in loss of detail when abc is re-exported,
which one would have to accept, since any conceivable abc notation
will still probably be insufficient for a lot of the advanced music
typograpy..
The `simplistic' users can continue to use abc for free, and those
who actually want all the extra programming effort can pay -
seems fair to me!
The only other course open to someone determined not to pay
for software but still wanting special funstions is to do
what the rest of us do - get out gcc / emacs / TeX and
get started!
Regards, RJP
--
RJP - <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> <http://www.sedric.demon.co.uk>.
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