Why Open Finale? 

Technical writers tend to notice when titles have two potential  meanings, and revise to eliminate the ambiguity. But, words can be so much more than instructions, can't they? And, this isn't product documentation. So, writing as a human, and attempting to do something as fun and ambitious as giving Finale to the world, there is a temptation to go the other direction, and see how far it takes you.

"Open Finale" as a noun is the logical name for an open-source Finale product. 

"Open Finale" with "Open" as a verb means roughly: "Let's do this thing!"

What do you think?

I think we should!

If you happen to be reading this now you'll see stock images from Google Sites Project template. I'm fine with it. We are in the very early stages, and I've always been a fan of transparency. And, since this project is as much yours as mine, and you somehow came here because you saw openfinale.org in my email address, you're welcome to follow along as I scramble to update this. I love your curiosity! You've found a bit of an Easter egg, and I love those! So, feel free to check back as I improve this as fast as I can over the next hours, days, weeks, and who knows how long...

So how did this effort start? 

As I've mentioned on the Facebook Page, I was shocked when MakeMusic killed Finale. I didn't want to learn a new notation app. I wondered what was going to happen to all my Finale files. At the same time, I could feel the outcry from potentially millions of people who spent decades learning how to use this amazing (albeit sometimes ridiculous) piece of software, along with all the clever workflows (or otherwise) they had built and relied upon. The thought of losing Finale... really losing Finale... was, and is, crushing. 

I'd been wondering what I can do ever since chatting with the old crew at a Finale funeral event last year. What are the new technical possibilities given our current AI capabilities? How do we preserve Finale so our scores are safe forever? What kind of organization could support this? Nobody knew the answers. 

Since then, with the Weezic aquisition and its integration with MakeMusic Cloud, Finale is (potentially) no longer essential to internal music development. It made me wonder: could the Finale code be dispensible to MakeMusic? It's been over two years since the Dorico crossgrade deal. And, I'm ready to try something new. Saving Finale seems like the right thing to do.