# LilyPond version 2.8 available - prettier music than ever

Utrecht the Netherlands--March 21, 2006.

After 9 months of backbreaking hacking, the LilyPond Development Team is proud to announce LilyPond 2.8.0, software for better looking music notation.

The inspiration for LilyPond came when two befriended musicians got annoyed with the bland and boring look of computer print-out. Every musician prefers reading beautiful music, so couldn't we programmers solve that printing problem?

LilyPond just does that: it prints music in the best traditions of classical engraving with minimum fuss. Don't waste time on tuning spacing, moving around symbols, or shaping slurs. Impress friends and colleagues with sharp sheet music!

## New stuff

Version 2.8 replaces the latest "stable" release 2.6. The newest version adds three major typographical improvements

- Page Layout Options

  Creating good page layout has never been easier: tune vertical spacing per system, set the total number of systems, visualize page parameters.

- Exact proportional spacing

  Algorithmic notation buffs will love this option, where mixed exotic rhythms and nested tuplets still produce mathematically consistent spacing.

- Vastly improved formatting for ties

  Get the best tied chord formatting anywhere, and if that doesn't satisfy you, just override each offending tie configuration.

That's not all, check out

       http://lilypond.org/doc/v2.8/Documentation/topdocs/NEWS.html

for all changes.

## Style your own pond

Most of the new features have been implemented at user's requests. By ordering custom code from the designers of LilyPond you too can get your favorite gripe fixed. Read the sponsorship pages to learn more.

Download your ready-to-run binary from

    lilypond.org

We have them for MacOS X (ppc), Windows, Linux and FreeBSD.

Happy music printing!

### Development team

Han-Wen Nienhuys - Core development
Jan Nieuwenhuizen - Core development
Erik Sandberg - Bug Meister
Pedro Kroger - Build Meister
Graham Percival - Documentation Editor
Mats Bengtsson - Support Guru

### Contributors

Erlend Aasland, Heikki Junes, Joe Neeman, Johannes Schindelin, Nicolas Sceaux, Werner Lemberg, Yoshinobu Ishizaki.

### Sponsors

Aaron Mehl, Basil Crow, Bertalan Fodor, Christian Ebert, Henrik Frisk, Jay Hamilton, Jamie Bullock, John Mandereau, D. Josiah Boothby, Kieren MacMillan, Kris Shaffer, Mark van den Borre, Mike Rolish, Muziekacademie Lede, Nancho Alvarez, Nicolas Sceaux, Sean Reed, Steve Doonan, Sven Axelsson, Trent Johnston, Trevor Bača, Yoshinobu Ishizaki, and Vicente Solsona Dellá.

### Bug hunters and suggestions

Alan Stern, Andrea Valle, Bertalan Fodor, Bob Broadus, Bruce Fairchild, Cameron Horsburgh, Chris Sawer, Christian Ebert, Christian Hitz, Darius Blasband, David Bobroff, David Raleigh Arnold, Donald Axel, Don Blaheta, Dunstan Vavasour, Edward Neeman, Eduardo Vieira, Ernesto Gancedo, François Vion, Frédéric Bron, Geoff Horton, Gianluca D., Hans Forbrich, Hoang Nguyen, Joe Neeman, Jordi Nadal, Jukka Akkanen, Kieren Richard MacMillan, Lambros Lambrou, Laura Conrad, Libero Mureddu, Marcus Macauley, Mark Steinheuser, Matevž Jekovec, Michael Kiermaier, Michael Welsh Duggan, Milan Zamazal, Nicolas Mayencourt, Orm Finnendahl, Patrick K Welton, Paul Scott, Ralph Little, Richard Schoeller, Robert Vlatasy, Roman Kurakin, Russell Lang, Scott Russell, Sean Reed, Seng Liang, Steve Doonan, Steven Weber, Sven Axelsson, Thomas Scharkowski, Thomas Bushnell BSG, Toine Schreurs, Trent Johnston, Trevor Bača, Vicente Solsona Dellá, Vincenzo Colonnella, Will Oram, and Wolfgang Hoffmann.