Re: Horizontal spacing change between 2.15.9 and 2.15.10 (regression?)

[Keith OHara]

On Sun, 30 Oct 2011 04:03:58 -0700, Xavier Scheuer <address@hidden> wrote:

> On 30 October 2011 04:12, Keith OHara <address@hidden> wrote:
> > fixed-space was there in 2.14.2, but it did not function since 2007.
> >
> > Did your score have the notes very close to the key signature, as in
> >  <http://code.google.com/p/lilypond/issues/detail?id=1785>
> >  <http://code.google.com/p/lilypond/issues/detail?id=724>
> > ?
>
> Notes are closer to the key signature but with no confusion and it
> remains perfectly readable, IMHO.  After a second look the measures
> are indeed quite compressed, and the space between the bar line and the
> first note is very very tight in the passage I am speaking about.
>
> I attached the output for 2.14.2 and 2.15.6.  I was not able to reduce
> it to a few measures, because with such minimal example LilyPond prints
> only one measure per line, even with 2.14.2.  It is only with the full
> score that I get 2 measures per line by default.
> I'm sure you would recognise public domain's most famous piece of music!

Of course I recognize "Variations on Puff the Magic Dragon". The original
version is much better, though not yet in public domain.

For comparison, what did you think about the example I linked to on mutopia,
typeset with the old accidentally compressible space?  Do you agree that
the spacing at the beginnings of lines and bars is compressed too much in
some place, relative the the compression between notes.

It was these examples, typeset form 2007 to early 2011, that convinced me
to fix issue 1785.

> Anyway, I am a bit complaining but this is of course nitpicking.

I would actually like the space to be a little compressible, "semi-fixed"
(see my comments on issue 1785) but "semi-fixed" space also stretches,
and (to my surprise) people do not tolerate any stretching (issue 1856)
possibly because the regression tests have such unusually stretched lines.

Adding an option like "semi-compressible", to compress but not stretch,
is quite possible.  That can be done without affecting issue 724.

You know what to do.  If you think that LilyPond would do better overall
to compress that space, make an example for an enhancement request.

If the Canon is an unusual, on the other hand, put an override in the Canon.