Andrew Stiller wrote:
FinMac 2002 was an almost perfect program, and I would still be using it today were it not for the fact that it will not run under Mac OSX. OSX required me to "upgrade" to Finale 2K4--which was in fact no upgrade at all, but a buggy step backward.
I think Finale 2003 was great. It was like 2002 with a few more improvements. And it was fast in OS 9.
I like some of the new ideas in 2007 such as linked parts, but the implementation leaves a lot to be desired. But the problem that drives me crazy the most is the switching enharmonic bug. This was introduced in 2007 and it forces me to change the way I've worked with Finale for years. I don't have confidence that the music I enter will stay the way I want it.
It's not that I can't get any work done, but I'm forced to constantly think about the tool rather than the music.
MakeMusic really owes us a version that fixes the most annoying of Finale's bugs. Whether we'll get one is doubtful. I'm willing to be surprised however.
The list of what should get fixed first shouldn't entirely be based on what people are complaining about the most. The problems that effect the integrity of the data (and our confidence in the program) need to have the highest priority. Long standing bugs deserve special treatment, even if there are few users of the feature. Recently introduced bugs also need to be quashed as soon as possible because they invalidate the reasons for upgrading in the first place.
MM needs a strategic philosophy and administrative support in order to solve these issues. Based on the last three upgrades, I can't see much evidence of that.
Looking back at various versions over the years, the most disastrous for me have been Finale 3.0 and Finale 2004 (the version for Mac OS 9 was a joke). I never did get bitten by the overwrite bug, so 2005, 2006 weren't all that bed for me. I know that others had different experiences.
-Randolph Peters _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
