* mf/GNUmakefile: always trace pfa fonts.

[lilypond.git] / Documentation / user / preface.itely

diff --git a/Documentation/user/preface.itely b/Documentation/user/preface.itely
index d57d5b8ec5bb0a7d8bd6d50f3f90f89e3abfae9f..91b7c6bc22657585a3f6d0ffc0ed5d3b23acd60c 100644 (file)
--- a/Documentation/user/preface.itely
+++ b/Documentation/user/preface.itely
@@ -1,8 +1,65 @@
 @comment @c -*-texinfo-*-
 
+
 @node Preface
 @unnumbered Preface
 
+@menu
+* Preface to version 2.0::
+* Preface to version 1.8::
+* Preface to version 1.6::
+@end menu
+
+
+@node Preface to version 2.0
+@unnumberedsec Preface to version 2.0
+
+
+Due to personal circumstances, Han-Wen was able to do a lot more on
+LilyPond during the past months. A testament to that is the quick
+release of version 2.0, less than two months after 1.8. We have taken
+the opportunity to make a few radical changes to the syntax: note
+attributes, like articulation, dynamics and fingerings are now
+post-fix exclusively. This makes entering scores easier: you never
+have to think about the order of the attributes.  With version 2.0, we
+have a new and improved platform for working on notation and
+typography features for coming versions,
+ 
+Due to other personal circumstances, Jan was not able to do more than
+packaging for Cygwin.  The good news is that we now have a nearly
+fool-proof installation for Windows.  He will be back in 2.1.
+
+
+Han-Wen and Jan
+
+Utrecht/Eindhoven, The Netherlands, September 2003.
+
+@node Preface to version 1.8
+@unnumberedsec Preface to version 1.8
+
+If you are familiar with LilyPond version 1.6, then version 1.8 will
+no offer no big surprises. The only conspicuous change is in the way
+that formatted text is entered. There is now a new syntax that is more
+friendly, more versatile and extensible. We hope you like it.  In
+general, development on version 1.8 has been focused on improving the
+design of various internal mechanisms.  This includes chord name
+formatting and entry code, music expression storage, and integration
+between LilyPond and Scheme.  These changes may not be evident
+directly, but they make the program more robust and more flexible,
+which translates into fewer bugs and more adjustment options.
+
+Special thanks for version 1.8 go out to Juergen Reuter for lots of
+work on the ancient notation engine, and to Amy Zapf for pushing us to
+rewrite the chord name support.
+
+@c TODO [wie meer?]  
+
+Han-Wen and Jan, 
+
+Utrecht/Eindhoven, The Netherlands, April/May 2003.
+
+@node Preface to version 1.6
+@unnumberedsec Preface to version 1.6
 
 It must have been during a rehearsal of the EJE (Eindhoven Youth
 Orchestra), somewhere in 1995 that Jan, one of the cranked violists
@@ -18,12 +75,12 @@ project.
 
 In some ways, developing a computer program is like learning to play
 an instrument. In the beginning, discovering how it works is fun, and
-the things you can't do are challenging. After the initial excitement,
+the things you cannot do are challenging. After the initial excitement,
 you have to practice and practice. Scales and studies can be dull, and
-if you aren't motivated by others---teachers, conductors or
+if you are not motivated by others---teachers, conductors or
 audience---it is very tempting to give up. You continue, and gradually
 playing becomes a part of your life. Some days it comes naturally, and
-it's wonderful, and on some days it just doesn't work, but you keep
+it is wonderful, and on some days it just does not work, but you keep
 playing, day after day.
 
 Like making music, working on LilyPond is can be dull work, and on
@@ -31,9 +88,9 @@ some days it feels like plodding through a morass of
 bugs. Nevertheless, it has become a part of our life, and we keep
 doing it. Probably the most important motivation is that our program
 actually does something useful for people. When we browse around the
-net we find many people that use LilyPond, and use it to produce
-impressive pieces of sheet music.  Seeing that still feels unreal, but
-in a very pleasant way.
+net we find many people that use LilyPond, and produce impressive
+pieces of sheet music.  Seeing that still feels unreal, but in a very
+pleasant way.
 
 Our users not only give us good vibes by using our program, many of
 them also help us by giving suggestions and sending bugreports. So
@@ -48,7 +105,7 @@ Bernardini for inviting us to his workshop on music publishing, which
 was truly a masterclass, and Heinz Stolba and James Ingram for
 teaching us there. 
 
-Playing and printing music is more than nice analogy: programming
+Playing and printing music is more than nice analogy. Programming
 together is a lot of fun, and helping people is deeply satisfying, but
 ultimately, working on LilyPond is a way to express our deep love for
 music. May it help you create lots of beautiful music!