MuseScore 4.0.0 initial impressions → practically unusable!
OS: Windows 10 Version 2009, Arch.: x86_64, MuseScore version (64-bit): 4.0.0-223472200, revision: 5485621.
- 80% of the time, I can't click on anything or, when I do, I have to click again and again until something as simple as a menu or button actually activates. This practically makes the U.I. unusable.
- When the U.I. is actually responding, it is doing so so slowly it is practically unusable. Honestly, basic menus and buttons should simply not be so slow.
- Many bugs! So many that it is practically unusable.
- And what happened to customization? Why can't I hide "Home | Score | Publish", "Parts | Mixer", or at the very very least, put the note input toolbar on the same horizontal row of toolbars so that I don't waste so much vertical space on my screen? (Nearly all monitors are wide-screen monitors, today!)
- Why are there "tabs" but opening files opens them in new windows, anyway, and I can't even hide the tab bar? More full-screen-width wasted space!
- And opening files in a new window is ever so slow! Honestly, it is practically unusable – almost as if the splash-screen is forced to wait for a few seconds just so it gets seen.
- Also, a lot of issues that look to me (a software developer) like poor implementation of High-DPI support. But High-DPI screens have been a Thing for at least a decade now so no excuses!
All in all, I really like the improvements regarding engraving but the MuseScore 4 U.I. is simply not working at all for me. It basically fails or breaks so often, I'll have to revert to 3 just to get anything done.
Comments
In order to assist with the bugs you say you are seeing, we would need to start open new threads (one per bug) and explain exactly what the perceived problem is.
The reason scores open in separate windows has been discussed pretty extensively here, so I recommend finding existing discussions. Basically, it's to allow - for the first time ever - things like VST instruments, and Muse Sounds, and to allow you to have different playback configurations for different score.s Previous versions forced all scores to use the same sounds, but that's just not feasible when dealing with VST and Msue Sounds. The tabs, though, are for your parts.
One of my computers meets the minimum specs listed to run MS4. It does not experience the lags you mention. For the others, I had to tweak certain settings. They may not work perfectly, but are usable.
https://musescore.org/en/node/339915.
Personally, I don't care much what the UI looks like. I just want to write music. I'd rather have a bar bones UI that works, than a fancy one.