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[lilypond.git] / NEWS

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+New features in 1.7 since 1.6
 
-New features in 1.4
+* INPUT
 
-* Finale (.etf), PMX (.pmx) and musedata import tools.
+** Completely rewritten support for chord entry. Cleaner and more flexible.
 
-* Point and click functionality using emacs and Xdvi.
+** Text entry is now done in a separate mode, and is more ergonomic
+than the previous Scheme texts.
 
-* Comprehensive documentation, including tutorial.
+** Deeper integration of the input language and Scheme. You can now use
+LilyPond identifiers in Scheme, and use Scheme expressions instead of
+LilyPond identifiers.
 
-* Self-documenting: generated internal documentation.
+** Music types cleaned up and Schemified.  
 
-* Includes an extensive glossary of musical terms.
+** New syntax for chords:
 
-* Improved design and implementation: Complete rewrite of the
-internals: LilyPond is smaller, cleaner, more flexible, etc.
+       << PITCHES >>
 
- - More pervasive GUILE integration resulting in:
+This is in addition to the < MUSICS > syntax for simultaneous
+music. Combined with this: uniform postfix syntax for articulations:
 
- - Improved speed with comparable memory footprint
+       c8-[-( d8-]-) 
 
- - More tweakability using less memory with the new `property push'
-  mechanism.
+for a beamed slurred pair of eighth notes.
 
- - Improved robustness: Lily almost never crashes.
+*NOTE* In version 2.0, this syntax will be changed to
 
-* New font selection scheme similar to Latex-NFSS.
+   < PITCHES >  for chords
 
-* Medieval notation features: clefs, custodes
+and
 
-* Piano pedal support, Arpeggios, Glissandi
+   \simultaneous { .. } for simultaneous music.
 
-* MIDI: dynamics, tempo changes
+** User code evaluation during interpreting. Syntax
 
-* Typography: More elegant slurs, aligned dynamics, text crescendos,
+       \applycontext #SCHEME-FUNCTION
 
-* Better lyrics placement: Automatical phrasing, melisma alignment,
-  and stanza numbering.
+** XML music output.
 
-* Part combining for orchestral scores and hymns: two voices are
-  combined into a staff automatically, including Solo/a2
-  indications as appropriate.
+** Friendly chord-name exception entry.
 
-* Chordnames are now configurable in every respect
+** Texts can be put on multimeasure rests, eg.
 
-* Easy-play notation
+       R1*20^\markup { "GP" }
 
-* Finished ouverture Coriolan as full orchestral score example.
 
-* Mutopia ports collection: easy accessible music archive.
+* OUTPUT
 
-* ASCIIScript: ASCII-art output 
+** Preliminary Sodipodi/SVG output
 
-* Translations into Japanese, French and Russian
 
-* Many bugfixes.
 
+* NOTATION
 
-Removed features
+** Ancient notation ... ?? ...  (Jurgen?)
+
+** Completely rewritten text formatting support. It is implemented in a
+completely modular way.
+
+** Chord name formatting completely rewritten.
+
+** Texts on multimeasure rests can be set by the user.
+
+** Zigzagged glissandi
+
+** Cluster support. Syntax:
+
+       NOTE-\startCluster
+
+       ..
+       NOTE-\stopCluster
+
+** Beat grouping indications. Syntax:
+
+       #(set-time-signature 7 8 '(3 2 2))
+
+** Nested horizontal brackets for music analysis.
+
+       NOTE-\groupOpen
+               ..
+       NOTE-\groupClose
+
+** Gregorian ligatures.
+
+** Texts on multi-measure rests.
+
+
+
+New features in 1.6 since 1.4
+
+* Support for figured bass and tablature.
+
+* Completely rewritten beam formatting: provides much better output
+now.
+
+* Completely revised and improved music font.
+
+* Completely rewritten MIDI import support.
+
+* Completely rewritten grace note support. Practically speaking this
+means that grace notes can be slurred to normal normal notes.
+
+* Improved accidental handling and formatting: styles for producing
+cautionaries may vary, and complex collisions between accidentals of a
+chord are handled much better.
+
+* Better spacing: both globally and locally. This includes subtle
+details like optical stem spacing.
+
+* More support for ancient notation: mensural ligatures, ambitus
+(pitch range) of voices, more shapes, etc.
+
+* More support for piano notation: bracket pedals, directed arpeggios,
+arpeggio brackets.
+
+* Easier music polyphonic music entry.
+
+* More extensibility, many speedups and bugfixes
+
+* The manual has been thoroughly revised.
+
+* Development is now hosted at http://savannah.gnu.org, and sources
+can be downloaded through anonymous CVS.
+
+* Support for windows: LilyPond is part of the cygwin distribution,
+which comes with a user-friendly installer.
 
-* margin shape