A number of people have been disappointed (or even outraged) and the
reality of GPO with this release. It is a hack job that is not
integrated in any stretch of that word. For people who are willing to
spend hours fiddling with their equipment in order to make the most
realistic rendering of a symphony orchestra, maybe it has some merit.
But it is completely worthless for other settings because it is missing
such rare instruments as saxophone, electric piano, guitar and bass.
Moreover, there seems to be no practical way to manage the score for
distribution, playback, and parts printing without doing some major
tweaking every step of the way.
Some people have concluded, therefore, that if you aren't among the 5%
for whom GPO could be an essential tool, then you should skip the 2006
release.
I don't agree with that conclusion. I had hoped that GPO would be
useful. It is utterly worthless to me, and it is a shame that Finale
put so much effort in that direction when there are so many fundamental
notation and productivity issues that need attention. Having said that,
there are many subtle improvements in the basic product that,
cumulatively, justify an upgrade IMHO. I haven't been keeping a list,
but I've already come across a dozen or so things that make life easier
is some small way, and most of these were not mentioned anywhere in the
announcement hype, as far as I can tell.
So, my opinion is:
GPO -- big thumbs down
Finale 2006 - Thumbs up.
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