> And then it becomes a competition between engravers rather than a > competition between engraving software. > > Which is fine, if that is what is desired, but it should be made clear > what type of competition this would be before it begins.
Yes, it should be made clear. But I do not think that it can be. The output is always a result of both Engraver variables and Software variables. There is no easy way to separate these. Imagine two scores submitted to a software competition. Their appearance is identical. One was made with Sibelius and one with Paint. Would you conclude that the programs were equal? No, you would marvel at the eye and persistence of the engraver who used Paint. Now, this is an extreme example, a thought experiment. But, how could you draw valid conclusions about the ranking of two programs intended for music scoring whose features are roughly similar to start with? Well, you might then say to control the amount of time that was spent on the project. But then the differences might be due to the engraver's efficiency with the program. So, you require that the engravers be similarly experienced and knowledgeable about their respective software. Now, the differences might be due to typing speed. Require similar typing speed and the differences may be due to motivation (assuming anyone was left in the competition after so many restrictions). All of this just says that there are innumerable confounding factors in trying to set up a competition between music scoring software programs. Richard Yates _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mail.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
