RE: improving LilyPond useability

[Phil Burfitt]

Hi,

I believe first impressions are important, and I think that LilyPond lets 
itself down here. After installing LilyPond, a new user will discover a new 
icon on their desktop. They'll double click on it, and what do they 
get?....a sort-of read me file (it's LilyPad, but you wouldn't know that 
unless you spotted the header/title), and a command prompt that doesn't work 
or do anything (many computer users have never seen or even heard of a 
command prompt!).

So often people after buying a new shiny thingy, open the box, plug it in, 
and only after numerous failed attempts to get it to work, decide to read 
the manual...software users are not that different. If you've invested money 
you'll soldier on and figure it out, but if it didn't cost you anything, and 
you're left confused, you'll probably just close it down and move on.

My tuppence worth.

Phil.