In message <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Phil Taylor <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes >Suggestions that we change the abc file extension to something other >than .abc are kind of missing the point. File extensions are irrelevant >in Classic MacOS, so BarFly will open any text file, regardless of >extension. If the file contains any lines which start with X: it >will treat what follows as an abc tune on request. > >Likewise, the oft-repeated suggestion that file headers should start >with a version number which identifies the version of abc won't work >either because users mostly won't bother. > >You have to remember that most users write their abc using a text editor. >They make mistakes, and they leave things out. Now you might say >that programs should be strict about interpreting it, and point out >the errors. The problem there is that the net is full of erroneous >abc, and if a program is too strict in it's interpretation, it's a >pain in the arse to use, and users will choose to go elsewhere. > >So, interpreting abc is rather like interpreting a natural language. >Whatever the standard says you have to bear in mind that this is a >language which people use to communicate music to each other, with >no computers involved (other than in the transmission part of the >process). For this reason, interpreting abc is much, much harder >than interpreting MusicXML (despite the fact that MusicXML is a much >more complete language). > >Phil Taylor
All good points. However it's when some peoplen use ~ to mean a roll and others use it to mean a turn that there are problems. Of course you can specify which you want with U: field but most examples I've seen don't. I don't believe it's only the ~ which has a problem either... Bernard Hill Braeburn Software Author of Music Publisher system Music Software written by musicians for musicians http://www.braeburn.co.uk Selkirk, Scotland To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
