Accordance Blog

David, in case you missed it...here is what I said in response to your comment over at my place:-

David
I see from your profile that you work for Accordance...I could be cheeky and say something like this - if book count has anything to do with it, Accordance is more like a vacation at the mud-puddle and Logos is more like a vacation at sea. Think of Logos' 8,000 or so resources like the vast ocean and Accordance's 350 or so modules as a cup of water...

OR, I could be even more cheeky and say that I would of course be delighted to have a review copy of your software and try and assess it in an unbiased way in terms of how the interface works. If your interface rocks as much as you say it does, I hope logos plan on mercilessly copying it as much as their buddies at Microsoft have done with Vista and the Mac OS!!!!
 

Still thinking like a Windoz user (esp. "mercileslly copying"). Give Adrian about 6 months with his Mac, before he really becomes enlightened that his computing soul has been saved, and then Accordance will bless his real quest for Biblical studies. The 8,000 vs. 350 reminds me too of the old myth that there is more software for Windows vs. Mac. If you still can't answer that one, or even believe it, you still have not reached jedi level yet. : )
 

I know no better....but I am at least taking baby steps to salvation. As you can see, I need that spell-checker to be integrated to the whole OS.
 

...BUT, I do use a LOT of the resources that I have in my current Logos system. There is nothing quite like being able to search for an obscure verse and find commentaries and journal articles and mentions in theological texts.
 

Glad to have you here, Adrian. I've posted the following comment to your blog, but I'm including it here for our readers as well.

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Adrian, regarding the numbers you cited, you need to be sure you're comparing Apples to, well, you know. Counting books is a futile exercise, because it can be hopelessly misleading. That's why we don't even bother to count the total number of resources we offer.

In order to gain a proper perspective regarding breadth of available resources, I would encourage you to look more deeply at the numbers. For example, we list Word Biblical Commentary as two modules, because we group all the Old Testament volumes together in one module, and all the New Testament volumes in another. If I'm not mistaken, Logos would count those 58 volumes as 58 separate resources. That makes it look like they have 56 more "resources" than we do, but it's the same amount of material. The same goes for other multi-volume commentaries like the ACCS, Pillar, and NIGTC, the 38-volume Early Church Fathers, etc.

Things get even murkier when you look at magazines and journals. How many resources does the BAR Archive count as? We include 29 years' worth of issues, along with 5 BAS books in a single module. How many does that count as by Logos' reckoning? The same goes for the Theological Journal Library, Semeia, etc. How much would normalizing our methods of counting all those journal and magazine issues reduce the numerical discrepancy?

That's not to say that a significant numerical discrepancy does not still remain. But I think it's fair to say that most of the best resources available for Logos are also available for Accordance. Conversely, there are numerous resources available for Accordance which Logos does not have: various original language texts, Expositor's Bible Commentary, NIBC, most of Zondervan's materials, NIDNTT, NIDOTTE, CNTTS apparatus, the Atlas, PhotoGuide, and Timeline, etc.

My "cheeky" quote of Lewis aside, the point of my original comment was that you can keep your investment in Logos and supplement with those resources which are only available to Accordance. In other words, your use of Bible study software doesn't have to be either-or, but both-and. As one who is Reformed in his theology, that should appeal to you! ;-)
 

I'm glad I could offer a contribution! And I can't wait to see my "slogan" in the banner above :-)

Seriously, though... how could I get by without Accordance? I use it every day. I mean every day. On my MacBook it's as common of an application as an email reader and an internet browser. It's just as essential, if not more than any tool on my computer.
 

David, The 'human without a soul' appears to betray buying into Greek philosophy rather than a Judeaeo-Christian view of human nature...
 

Free module for Rick!
 

Yes, free module for me. I like the sound of that.