Scala for Dummies (like myself).

This is the download page:
http://www.huygens-fokker.org/scala/downloads.html

To me, this process is unnecessarily difficult. It presupposes computer skills which I don't possess. I've already spent hundreds of dollars getting my computer serviced after trying to install the Windows version. I'd like to try to install it again but I can't afford to make any mistakes again. I don't even know what Scala looks like.
Considering that Scala is becoming an industry standard why is it that there is no simple executable way of installing it which includes an Installation Wizard (nearly all programs have them now)?
This is honest and fair criticism.

Hi Robert,

There is an installer for Windows. Only the Mac version
is more complicated.

-Carl

At 03:03 PM 3/18/2010, you wrote:
>This is the download page:
>http://www.huygens-fokker.org/scala/downloads.html
>
>To me, this process is unnecessarily difficult. It presupposes
>computer skills which I don't possess. I've already spent hundreds of
>dollars getting my computer serviced after trying to install the
>Windows version. I'd like to try to install it again but I can't
>afford to make any mistakes again. I don't even know what Scala looks like.
>Considering that Scala is becoming an industry standard why is it that
>there is no simple executable way of installing it which includes an
>Installation Wizard (nearly all programs have them now)?
>This is honest and fair criticism.

It has become more and more important for me as a composer/musician/
theorist to delve into the technicalities of computer programming. Any
tuning enthusiast working with computers will eventually have to
grapple the basic concepts of how OSs work, how commands are executed
and even how programs are assembled.

As a side note, I am starting to learn Python programming language. It
seems to be a very fluent and capable open-source language that has
gained world-wide acceptance and acclaim. I believe it is a viable
route to take for developing music applets.

Oz.

✩ ✩ ✩
www.ozanyarman.com

On Mar 19, 2010, at 12:03 AM, robertthomasmartin wrote:

> This is the download page:
> http://www.huygens-fokker.org/scala/downloads.html
>
> To me, this process is unnecessarily difficult. It presupposes
> computer skills which I don't possess. I've already spent hundreds
> of dollars getting my computer serviced after trying to install the
> Windows version. I'd like to try to install it again but I can't
> afford to make any mistakes again. I don't even know what Scala
> looks like.
> Considering that Scala is becoming an industry standard why is it
> that there is no simple executable way of installing it which
> includes an Installation Wizard (nearly all programs have them now)?
> This is honest and fair criticism.
>

--- In MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com, Ozan Yarman <ozanyarman@...> wrote:
>
> It has become more and more important for me as a composer/musician/
> theorist to delve into the technicalities of computer programming. Any
> tuning enthusiast working with computers will eventually have to
> grapple the basic concepts of how OSs work, how commands are executed
> and even how programs are assembled.
>
> As a side note, I am starting to learn Python programming language. It
> seems to be a very fluent and capable open-source language that has
> gained world-wide acceptance and acclaim. I believe it is a viable
> route to take for developing music applets.
>
> Oz.
>
>
> ✩ ✩ ✩
> www.ozanyarman.com
>
> On Mar 19, 2010, at 12:03 AM, robertthomasmartin wrote:
>
> > This is the download page:
> > http://www.huygens-fokker.org/scala/downloads.html
> >
> > To me, this process is unnecessarily difficult. It presupposes
> > computer skills which I don't possess. I've already spent hundreds
> > of dollars getting my computer serviced after trying to install the
> > Windows version. I'd like to try to install it again but I can't
> > afford to make any mistakes again. I don't even know what Scala
> > looks like.
> > Considering that Scala is becoming an industry standard why is it
> > that there is no simple executable way of installing it which
> > includes an Installation Wizard (nearly all programs have them now)?
> > This is honest and fair criticism.
> >
>
From Robert. I can understand your position of improving your musical skills by improving your computer skills. But musical skill is not eqivalent to computer literacy. Most of the world's musicians don't even own a computer and the ones that do prefer things to be as easy as possible. WYSIWYG, download now/I agree/next, next/finish/click/load/save etc etc etc.
I can quite easily get by without ever using Scala or learning to program. I have a Kurzweil K2500Rack which is capable of almost any imaginable tuning. All I need are intervals in cents to work with.
As the owner of two microtonal groups:
/MicroMadeEasy/
http://groups.google.com/group/microtonal
I have the responsibilty of keeping both experts and beginners amused, entertained and interested in what other people are doing in the microtonal world. At the moment I have been concentrating on gathering information and links to 24tet/quarter tone music because this area is somewhat neglected in the microtonal groups. I would like to promote Scala more but not as it presently stands in relation to its downloading procedures.

--- In MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com, Carl Lumma <carl@...> wrote:
>
> Hi Robert,
>
> There is an installer for Windows. Only the Mac version
> is more complicated.
>
> -Carl
>
> At 03:03 PM 3/18/2010, you wrote:
> >This is the download page:
> >http://www.huygens-fokker.org/scala/downloads.html
> >
> >To me, this process is unnecessarily difficult. It presupposes
> >computer skills which I don't possess. I've already spent hundreds of
> >dollars getting my computer serviced after trying to install the
> >Windows version. I'd like to try to install it again but I can't
> >afford to make any mistakes again. I don't even know what Scala looks like.
> >Considering that Scala is becoming an industry standard why is it that
> >there is no simple executable way of installing it which includes an
> >Installation Wizard (nearly all programs have them now)?
> >This is honest and fair criticism.
>
From Robert. I downloaded Scala for Windows then was told that I had to download/run the Gtk+ installer for Windows version 2.12.10 or higher. So I went to the Gtk+ download page and downloaded the first item on the list. This seems to have worked so thankyou for giving me the confidence to try again. Now I have another microtonal toy to play with.

Robert wrote:
> From Robert. I downloaded Scala for Windows then was told that I
>had to download/run the Gtk+ installer for Windows version 2.12.10 or
>higher. So I went to the Gtk+ download page and downloaded the first
>item on the list. This seems to have worked so thankyou for giving me
>the confidence to try again. Now I have another microtonal toy to play with.

Hooray! -Carl

--- In MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com, Carl Lumma <carl@...> wrote:
>
> Robert wrote:
> > From Robert. I downloaded Scala for Windows then was told that I
> >had to download/run the Gtk+ installer for Windows version 2.12.10 or
> >higher. So I went to the Gtk+ download page and downloaded the first
> >item on the list. This seems to have worked so thankyou for giving me
> >the confidence to try again. Now I have another microtonal toy to play with.
>
> Hooray! -Carl
>
From Robert. I wrote down the procedure I followed and posted it to the Discussions section at
http://groups.google.com/group/microtonal
the viewing of which is open to the general public.
So perhaps it might help some other poor unfortunate computer dummy like myself. Thankyou again.