Re: tunefl and other web services

[Josiah Boothby]

On Wed, 11 Jul 2012 12:03:45 -0700
David Rogers <address@hidden> wrote:

> Janek Warchoł <address@hidden> writes:
> 
>  
> > PS concerning the girl, she's pretty indeed, but some of the 
> > /priests/ using Lily might have a problem with that :) 
> 
> 
> I'm not a priest. However, I still don't like the picture. I don't 
> mean that I disapprove, I mean that I don't think it looks good 
> enough to be used as advertising. To be (possibly a little too) 
> blunt, the fact that it's obviously not a professional job of 
> makeup, wardrobe, and photography is a major part of that. But 
> essentially, from my point of view, (and to be even more 
> unpleasantly blunt) if software needs a picture of a pretty girl 
> to sell it when in fact it's already free, then there must be 
> something wrong with the software - or with the salesman. I don't 
> think that's the best possible impression Lilypond can give.
> 

On Wed, 11 Jul 2012 21:20:56 +0100
Graham Percival <address@hidden> wrote:

> I agree.  It reminds me of sleazy 1990s CD-roms selling shareware
> sofware.

I am also not a priest, but I think the picture, along with the message
it accompanies, is in poor taste: although some people may find that
particular pretty face gives them a warm feeling and a motivation to
make more beautiful things, many other people are likely to find that
picture exclusive of their selves. A lot of those people who are likely
to feel excluded by software conflating pictures of attractive blond
women with universal beauty just happen to be some of the same people
who already tend to feel (and are) marginalized in free software and
open source communities, not to mention the tech industry in general.

This list is probably not the place for in-depth discussion of these
kinds of matters, so if anybody disagrees or is offended or confused by
my point, please respond to me directly.

Good thing Lilypond is good enough on its own grounds that I can
suggest it to people without sending them to gatekeepers who use sleaze
to market it :)

—Josiah