Trailblazin Ministries Blog

Tech Stuff

The Ultimate Bible Software Application

Written by LaRosa Johnson
Tuesday, 26 February 2008
Filed under: Bible, Tech Stuff

Okay, so I've been pondering this for a while. Ever since WORDsearch 8 came out and I got my copy of Logos Bible Software, I've been wondering what would it take to make the ultimate Bible software application. A best case scenario would involve many different factors and variables, and I'll briefly describe each of them below. But first, let me give a bit more background as to why I was thinking about this.

As an avid user of Bible software (circa 1999 or so & using WORDsearch 5 and e-Sword), I've come to find that there are a lot of things that I like in one application, but is not found in another application. Then, there are also those things that I don't like in one software that isn't an issue in the other. Throw into the mix the world of Web 2.0 and you have an entirely different ballgame. Now with the likes of eBible.com and others, one is easily able to share their thoughts on the Word with the world at large, layman and scholar alike. So, just imagine if all of the good was combined into a single application, or at least brought as much of the best of all the worlds together, that's what I mean when I say the "Ultimate Bible Software Application."

So, let's take a look at what I envision being in this program:

Cross Platform Compatibility

One of the main things that is hindering Bible software right now is that it is primarily only limited to Windows. Sure, there are applications for both Mac and Linux, but they are drastically inferior in terms of what a company like WORDsearch or Logos provides. That would be step one; to create an application that is compatible on every operating system, whether it be Windows, Mac, or any flavor of Unix.

This on its own seems like a major hurdle because of all of the programming required to support each system. It's not impossible though; if you look at an application like Firefox, it works on every system (albeit different downloads for each), but it is cross platform compatible. How about possibly taking a different approach though that would incorporate some of Web 2.0 (which I'll touch on in more detail later)? Adobe AIR seems to be a product that can do just that, as it runs on every platform and uses fairly straightforward programming that any programmer would understand. Simply put, with a base such as Adobe Air to build the software on, you immediately have cross platform compatibility and the ability to reach out to a Web 2.0 audience.

The Best of Both Worlds

There is a lot that can be done to bring in the best of both worlds, but I'll speak from my experience of using WORDsearch and Logos.

First and foremost, I would implement the simplicity of WORDsearch 8 and its ability to quickly get the user up and running with little to no effort. The layout is very clean with the library and documents easily accessible by the user. All you have to do is point, click (or type) and you have your book open. Once books are open, it's very easy to move around and find what you're looking for, and the searching is pretty intuitive. For the everyday user, WS8 is where its at because it is just so easy to use.

In terms of what Logos brings to the table, they bring in all of the complexity and power tools that a scholar or advanced user would like to use. Graphical search queries, syntax highlighting, and the such would be a great addition to this kind of application. There are all kinds of complex features, that they offer and any one of them would be nice to have. Another thing worth noting is being able to easily move from the Hebrew OT to the Greek NT when in sync with an English text, without having to manually do it yourself, another great feature from Logos.

I could spend a lot of time here, but I would just say to bring in the best from both apps (at the very least in a limited manner, as Logos is like Microsoft Office in terms of complexity and I doubt a single person knows the full extent of what it can do). Doing that would make things easy for the novice/casual user, while providing the horsepower necessary for the power/advanced user.

Web 2.0

This is a big one in my book, and it can be broken down into two parts: 1) Desktop application and 2) Standard Web 2.0.

First is the desktop application aspect, which is where Adobe AIR would quickly come into play. Imagine being able to have a desktop application that is connected with an online server somewhere. So, if you wanted to, you could run your application from a USB thumb drive on any computer and easily have all of your documents, favorites, and resources available to you (synced online) without having to keep them housed on a single computer, or fumbling around trying to keep them synced between different computers. Now, imagine if you wanted it to work like Google Gears where you can choose to either work online or offline; for your primary PC, the app would give you the option of downloading the files (Bibles, commentaries, etc) to the hard drive for quick access, while only syncing your notes or bookmarks with the server. Then when you're on the go, you can still access it via the web (flash window in a browser) or run the desktop app from your USB drive on another computer. This would also lend itself well to working on mobile devices as everything is in a central location and a simplified version could be sent to the mobile device, versus the rich edition that you would use on a desktop.

The second half is standard web 2.0 stuff that you have in the likes of facebook, myspace, etc. One of the best sites for this right now is YouVersion.com where it allows you to link create notes, links, video, etc and have them be linked to a particular passage or verse of Scripture. And with that, you can easily view your own notes, while also having the ability to view the comments of those around the world. With this kind of ability in a Bible app, you quickly link the entire world with one another, creating a medium where believers can grow in the faith and learn more about Scripture. Also think about the ability to create favorites or bookmarks, follow certain authors/users so that you know when they put up new information, store private notes (non-public), and so on. This alone would be much greater than the standard discussion group, as it connects people where they're at and without distracting from the topic of study.

Another aspect of being web 2.0 is the ability to quickly and easily give users the most up-to-date version of a book/Bible. If changes are made, they are immediately pushed to the user the next time they access it (or alerts them to download a new version if they have it saved locally).

That's It...

Well, sort of. There's plenty more that can be said, but that's the heart of the matter and what I'd like to see. I would love to see a Bible app that does what I like best from both worlds of Bible software and from web 2.0 all in one program. Will it ever happen? I hope so, but I won't hold my breath. Until then, I'll continue to make the best of what I have and have myself spread out through the many avenues of sharing and using the Word of God.