Richard,
I wanted to make you aware that I cloned onto github all the building of
denemo and packaging on by the Saffron server. I  had to mirror both the
mxe branch and the savanah branches on github. My intention is to great an
installer for macOS, win32, and later Linux all using github actions. In
this process of trying to get my win32 builds code signed I have to go
through the SignPath or when users download it they will think it is a
virus. They are in the process of approving this and I need you get
involved a little to help push this forward. Maybe you could write to them
to explain that this is just a mirror used for creating the installers on
github. On the Apple side we will not be official until I get an apple
developer license. and that costs $99 a year I think.
Here is the github page for the denemo mirrorr:
https://github.com/jbenham2015/Denemo
Here is the mxe mirror:
https://github.com/jbenham2015/mxe
The mxe builds a cached snapshot of mxe that I use to build denemo
dependencies but not denemo itself. My mirror of denemo will rebuild denemo
for win32 everytime there is a push to that mirror. This way when we want
to create a snapshot of denemo build for daily, testing or stable releases.
The mxe branch will only recompile I send a push to my mirror of mxe. I
have created a builder for macOS as well. It compiles and packages fine but
I don't have regular access to a mac. Occasionally I have access to a
windows computer. I don't know if you are able to download the installers
without loging into github so we may need to have it copy over to the
Saffron server.

Best,
Jeremiah


---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Phillip Deng from SignPath <[email protected]>
Date: Wed, Apr 8, 2026 at 8:14 AM
Subject: Re: SignPath Foundation OSS Code Signing Application — Denemo
To: Jeremiah Benham <[email protected]>


Hello Jeremiah,


Based on what you shared, the reputation of Denemo itself looks good from
our side. The project clearly has a long history, established visibility,
and strong recognition in the open-source community.


What we would still need to clarify, however, is the relationship between
your GitHub repository and the official Denemo project. In the official
homepage, the link is to the official Denemo Project:
https://cgit.git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/denemo.git and not your github repo.


In particular, it would be important for us to understand whether your
GitHub repository will also be officially referenced from the Denemo
homepage or other official Denemo project channels, and vice versa. This is
relevant for us because it helps establish the project’s official
connection, real usage context, and whether users can clearly trace the
software back to the recognized Denemo project.


On the other hand, if your repository is effectively a standalone effort
and not officially connected to or coordinated with the Denemo project
team, then we would need to separate that from the reputation of Denemo
itself. In that case, the established reputation of Denemo could not
automatically be used as reputation evidence for your own project.


Best regard,

Phillip



Sonntag, 29. März 2026, 15:55:25 +0200, Jeremiah Benham <
[email protected]>:

Subject: Re: SignPath Foundation OSS Program – Additional References for
Denemo

Hi Phillip,

Thank you for the opportunity to provide additional context. I'm happy to
share references that speak to Denemo's reputation and standing in the
open-source community.

Denemo is a long-established GNU project — it has been an official part of
the GNU Project ( https://www.gnu.org/software/denemo/) since 1999 and is
listed in the Free Software Directory (
https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Denemo). It is actively maintained and
serves as a graphical front-end to LilyPond, the widely respected music
engraving system.

Some specific indicators of the project's reach and reputation:

• Published book coverage: Denemo is featured in "Linux Music & Sound" by
Dave Phillips (No Starch Press, 2000, ISBN 978-1-886411-34-0), an
independently published reference work on Linux audio and music software.

• Linux Journal articles: Denemo was reviewed in detail by Dave Phillips in
"At the Sounding Edge: LilyPond, Part 2" (Linux Journal, August 2004,
https://www.linuxjournal.com/article/7719), including screenshots and a
thorough description of its capabilities. Denemo is also referenced in the
follow-up article in the same series (
https://www.linuxjournal.com/article/8738). Linux Journal is one of the
longest-running and most respected publications in the Linux/open-source
community. Notably, Dave Phillips is the same author who covered Denemo in
his book, representing sustained independent recognition of the project
across multiple publications over many years.

• Packaged in major Linux distributions: Denemo is available in Debian (
https://packages.debian.org/search?keywords=denemo), Ubuntu, Fedora, and
other major distros, which require passing quality and licensing reviews.

• Active mailing list and user community: The project has a long-running
mailing list hosted by GNU (
https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/denemo-devel) with years of archived
discussion.

• SourceForge presence: https://sourceforge.net/projects/denemo/ documents
the project's history of downloads and releases.

• Referenced in the LilyPond ecosystem: Denemo is listed among recommended
LilyPond front-ends on the LilyPond easier editing page (
https://lilypond.org/easier-editing.html), which has a large international
user base.

• Third-party reviews and coverage: Denemo has been reviewed and listed on
LinuxLinks ( https://www.linuxlinks.com/denemo/), LinuxReviews (
https://linuxreviews.org/Denemo), and Slashdot Software (
https://slashdot.org/software/p/Denemo/), among others.

• Wikipedia entry and scorewriter comparison:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denemo and
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_scorewriters — Denemo is listed
alongside Sibelius, Finale, MuseScore, and other established notation
programs.

The fork I am maintaining ( https://github.com/jbenham2015/Denemo) is
focused specifically on producing a Windows installer so that Denemo
becomes accessible to Windows users for the first time in many years. The
upstream project is maintained by Richard Shann, who has led development
for decades. I am the packaging and Windows build maintainer, working to
bring the project to a broader audience.

Code signing is essential for this effort — without it, Windows users
receive alarming SmartScreen warnings that effectively block adoption,
despite the software being completely safe and open-source.

I hope this additional context is helpful. Please don't hesitate to ask if
you need anything further.

Best regards,
Jeremiah Benham
Windows Build Maintainer, Denemo
https://www.denemo.org

On Wed, Mar 25, 2026 at 4:54 AM Phillip Deng from SignPath <
[email protected]> wrote:

> Hi Jeremiah,
>
>
> thank you for applying to the SignPath Foundation program and for taking
> the time to provide details about your project in the OSS Request Form.
>
>
> As part of our review process, we need to verify the reputation and
> standing of each project. This usually requires publicly available
> references such as articles, blog posts, forum discussions, mentions in
> open-source communities, or other material that demonstrates your project’s
> recognition and trustworthiness. At the moment, we were not able to find
> sufficient references for your project. Without these, we unfortunately
> won’t be able to approve it for participation in the OSS program.
>
>
> Before we make a final decision, could you please share with us any
> references, articles, or other materials that highlight your project’s
> reputation and usage? If you can provide such information, we’ll be happy
> to re-evaluate.
>
>
> Best regard,
>
> Phillip
>
> *Phillip Deng*
>
>
> *SignPath GmbH*
>
> https://signpath.io
>
> Donnerstag, 19. März 2026, 18:03:03 +0100, Jeremiah Benham <
> [email protected]>:
>
> Dear SignPath Foundation team,
> Please find attached my application for a free code signing
> certificate for Denemo, a free and open-source music notation editor
> that is part of the GNU project.
>
> The project is hosted on GitHub at
> https://github.com/jbenham2015/Denemo and builds Windows installers
> via GitHub Actions using MXE cross-compilation.
>
> Please let me know if you need any additional information.
>
> Thanks,
> Jeremiah Benham
>
>

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