I would really like to see a good competition between notation programs. There is plenty of anecdotal information comparing the output of the various programs, but very little in the way of concrete examples. As I see it, the main issue here is "what program should I buy?". (Others may well be interested in comparing engraving skills in a single-program competition format, but I'm not, and I think that's exactly the sort of thing the individual software manufacturers ought to be organizing).
The suggestion of having two main categories, one imitating existing publications in several genera and the other "free form" or comparing individual "house styles", is excellent. I disagree that the use of third-party plug-ins should be restricted; indeed, I disagree with the whole idea of making a "direct-out-of-the-package" competition. If a piece of software is designed to handle plug-ins, then plug-ins are a real feature of that software. And of course, if our interest is in showing what a program can do, then we want to invite the the most experienced users. Naturally, it could be useful or interesting to other users to know what plug-ins and fonts the engraver has used, but there should be room for every engraver to have their own trick of the trade. Daniel Wolf Budapest _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mail.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
