Since this is a question of philosophy, I'll give a philisophical response. I think you (Micheal Edwards) are asking the wrong question. You compare Lilypond with Finale and Sibelius so I think you are looking for a visual music composition tool. Such a tool seems to be a requirement for meeting your definition of "compatible with creativity".
Lilypond is a tool for producing beautifully "typeset" music; it is not and does not pretend to be a visual composition tool but it makes a wonderful backend for such a tool once the user is satisfied with what she or he has composed. I think the question you want to ask is "is there a visual music composition tool that is compatible with Lilypond?" and the answer is "yes". At least two, RoseGarden and NoteEdit, have been mentioned on list in the last few weeks. _______________________________________________ Lilypond-user mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mail.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/lilypond-user