I used Finale from 1997 to about 2004, then I started using Sibelius more often. Both have their strengths, but I'm doing most of my work on Sibelius these days. I also find it a bit more like working on paper, though I did like the way Finale would allow me to enter the accidental *after* the note in speedy entry, which Sibelius doesn't allow -- to me, that's more like paper, as I tend to draw in the note/notehead, then put the accidental in front of it.
But to be totally honest, I wish there was another genuine competitor. There are annoyances in both Sibelius and Finale. Maybe Sibelius 5 will cure some of these. Don't know. The ENP package in PWGL is very impressive, but it's not intended as a real typsetting program, but rather a notation interface for composition.
http://www2.siba.fi/PWGL/enp.html
What's even cooler is that it's free!
J.
But to be totally honest, I wish there was another genuine competitor. There are annoyances in both Sibelius and Finale. Maybe Sibelius 5 will cure some of these. Don't know. The ENP package in PWGL is very impressive, but it's not intended as a real typsetting program, but rather a notation interface for composition.
http://www2.siba.fi/PWGL/enp.html
What's even cooler is that it's free!
J.