John Howell wrote:
[snip]> The power users on this mailing list--and I have enormous respect for
them and their knowledge and skills--scoff at the idea of using Finale, or any program, right out of the box, but I submit that the expectation of using something right out of the box is a legitimate expectation and, again, the mark of a mature technology. I expect to plug in a new refrigerator or range and start using it. I don't expect to have to reprogram it because the default settings selected by the engineers who designed it aren't what they should be. Obviously music notation technology is not yet mature.
[snip]
Mature technology and ease of use are indeed sometimes interrelated.
But not always.
I am sure you would agree that the family of Viols is a mature technology, yet I am also sure you would be extremely amused by the thought of anybody buying one, opening the case and trying to play with no musical training before and no viol-specific instruction, and then complaining that it's just too complicated.
I'm not trying to be defensive of Finale's problems, but I want to point out that not all technology is for use by uninstructed beginners.
Finale can be used by beginners -- choose a template, enter the music and print it. It won't be great layout without a person knowing how to properly get music to appear, just as your refrigerator and range example may be easy to keep food cool and to boil water with no instruction, but neither will help you turn out a gourmet meal unless you already have skill in using a refrigerator (how cold should it be to adequately keep fish, and what should that slider be set to for keeping that produce truly fresh?) and a range (how do you know when the pan is the right temperature to put that Cajun-blackened catfish in?) to produce great results.
Software is no different.
-- David H. Bailey [EMAIL PROTECTED] _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
