Is there such a thing as software loyalty?

[tebel]

I have used different Bible Software programs over the years, some of which have been forgettable, others of which have been horrible, and one of which has been magnificent. (No prizes for guessing which one.)

 

However, only recently did I discover the value of deciding to use only one program: Accordance. I sold (actually gave away) all my Logos licenses (accumulated over ten years) and decided that I would use only Accordance. It was only then that I began to fully appreciate the power and depth of the program through I had used it for years.

 

I wonder if other users have experienced something similar by honing in on one brand of software? Is there such a thing a software loyalty? Does such loyalty have a reward? I have found that in my case that it does.

 

rari

[Randy Cue]

Accordance has to do just one more thing and I will be on that bandwagon. I'm waiting for better options for exporting Bible texts.

 

Soli Deo Gloria,

Randy

[Abram K-J]

This is a very interesting post and question. I spend time on forums for Accordance, BibleWorks, and Logos (in that order--mostly here), and I notice that in each place there are users who only use that one software and only ever want to use that one software (I think of Julie here, whose posts I really enjoy). The benefit in that is that (I'm convinced) there are "powerful" (common word in Bible software ad copy, I've noticed) things that each software can do, but that you really have to be a somewhat advanced user to know about or take full advantage of. Not that those things aren't intuitive in Accordance, but study of the program is repaid with a greater ability to do multiple things with it.

 

I use Accordance the most of three Bible softwares and have begun trying to unload those few BibleWorks modules I have in order to replace them in Accordance--I don't think of this is a "loyalty" issue (I think BW is great--interface notwithstanding), just a practicality for me. I'm on a Mac more and more these days, and Accordance is my favorite engine for the Mac. (BW still has some work to do on their Mac Public Preview.) There are advantages to paring down and really focusing in on one software.

 

That said, even if Accordance outperforms Logos for Mac, it remains true that there are commentaries or books that I want in electronic format that Accordance doesn't have, so I feel no compunction or lack of loyalty in getting them elsewhere, as I'm able. And there are a few things those other two Bible softwares can do that Accordance can't--and vice versa.

 

I think, too: we wouldn't probably talk about "loyalty" to Amazon Kindle vs. "loyalty" to Adobe Digital Editions, etc. Sometimes it's just the functional issue of where can I get a book in digital form, or what I need to be able to accomplish with the Tov-Polak MT-LXX parallel, or whether I want to read (not just export) unpointed Hebrew, etc.

 

So I'm not sure what reward there is in loyalty itself--especially since there's a price tag associated with it, and one can only be "loyal" to the extent that one can continue to pay for the program, additional modules, updates, etc.

 

But to your first question--I have experienced an even greater appreciation of Accordance as I've made a decision (after reviewing it) to make it my primary and first-use software.

 

When I first downloaded and reviewed Accordance 10, I wrote glowingly positive reviews, which were easy to do, since the interface, usability, speed, functionality, etc., in Accordance are so great. If I had an unlimited budget, I'd download every module I could from them!

Edited February 25, 2013 by AbramKJ

[tebel]

AbramKJ: your comments are always thoughtful. Thank you.

[Abram K-J]

Aw, shucks, luoar--likewise.

[Daniel Francis]

Accordance has to do just one more thing and I will be on that bandwagon. I'm waiting for better options for exporting Bible texts.

 

Soli Deo Gloria,

Randy

Accordances dashboard gives excellent Bible text exporting options.

 

-Dan

[Daniel Francis]

I would gladly use only accordance if it had all the resources I wanted. That said I love the resources selection found in other software even if it is inferior to accordance and slow.

 

-Dan

[twbeining]

I would gladly use only accordance if it had all the resources I wanted. That said I love the resources selection found in other software even if it is inferior to accordance and slow.

 

-Dan

 

I have to agree with Dan on this one. I would love to be able to use just one application for my studies. But Accordance just does not have all the resources I like to use when I study. If they should ever be able to deliver on the resource end there would be no question that I would use only Accordance.

 

Personally Accordance has only two weaknesses or game stoppers as I see it (or at least for me personally),

1). They are lacking a lot of good quality reference works, and

2). They need to make some serious improvements to User Notes and User Tools. Full integration the same as Accordance produced modules.

 

Something else I would like to see (but is not a game stopper like the two listed above) is a way for us to add our own Devotional content and have it fully integrate with the Accordance application.

 

Peace & Blessings

Tim

[Randy Cue]

Accordances dashboard gives excellent Bible text exporting options.

 

-Dan

Sorry, Dan but I have to disagree. Look at this screen shot.

 

 

 

I assume by "dashboard" you mean preferences?

 

Soli Deo Gloria,

Randy

[tebel]

A number of issues were raised in response to my post. I would like to briefly respond to these.

First, Randy raised the issue of exporting. I am sure this is just a matter where further instruction is required on how to properly export text in Accordance.

Second, the matter of resources not available in Accordance. Though Accordance may not offer the same number of resources that one finds, for example, in other programs, what is offered is always of a high quality and the ethical boundaries are adhered to in such a way that I do not feel I am acting against my conscience by buying their software. I do feel that some companies have lost the plot in that they seem to be driven by profits and not by the glory of God. Personally, I would rather go without certain resources than support such companies. I also wonder if it is ethical for companies to have the monopoly on the rights to these resources.

Third, I do think that some programs, like Accordance, inspire a kind of loyal following by virtue of their excellence and because they embody the values we hold dear. If I may be permitted to make a theological observation. In the Orthodox tradition, matter is never neutral. It is employed either in the service of God, or it is not. I do not believe, thinking along these lines, that even software is "neutral". One cannot set aside the question of ethics from the use of software.

Finally, I want to reinforce the point I made earlier that applying one's mind to learning multiple resources prevents one from the kind of in-depth learning I am speaking about. If we use too many resources we begin to expect that they all ought to behave in a certain way. For example in the way they export text!

Edited February 26, 2013 by luoar

[Bret Hicks]

Luoar,

 

Regarding what Randy said about exporting, it is not just a matter of learning and education. It is a matter that the capabilities are NOT there. I used one of the other major Bible software packages for years, and it has much more robust options for exporting, and it allows you to save multiple preset formats for export. Accordance simply does not have these. There is no reason I should not be able to set up and save multiple formats for exporting text that place it into Word, Pages, Keynote, PP and have the text appear EXACTLY as I want - font, size, colors, formatting, superscripts, etc. At present, this simply can not be done in Accordance, and Randy and I have posted about this quite a bit, and from what I understand our concerns are being heard. Not to be a one note band, but this is the single largest flaw in an excellent package. And I look forward to the day when this flaw has been removed

 

 

In Christ,

 

Bret Hicks

[Randy Cue]

Thanks Bret. You said that better than I could have. Both Helen Brown and Rick Bennett have said that this issue will be addressed. As you said so well, Accordance is an awesome tool and when this issue is addressed it will be even better.

 

Soli Deo Gloria,

Randy

[tebel]

Bret and Randy: clearly this is an issue of some importance for you. Personally I have never felt cheated in the export department, but then my needs are different from yours. Peace to you.

[Julia Falling]

Rari - The exporting has not been an issue for me, either, but I can see how it would be for those who are doing a lot of researching & writing.  It also looks like the good folks at Accordance are working to provide the features these guys need.  I think that one of the reasons that Accordance has continued to grow and mature as an application is that the developers are responsive to the very wide range of requirements by the users:  English-only folks, pastors, academics/researchers, and everything in-between.  For those of us who started out English-only, and have then expanded a bit, Accordance has made it easy to build our libraries to accommodate new skills and interests.  For all this I am very grateful.  The wonder is that they can accomplish so much for all of us who are constantly clamoring for more modules and more features!

Edited December 20, 2018 by Julia Falling

[Daniel Francis]

Sorry, Dan but I have to disagree. Look at this screen shot.

 

 

http://www.accordancebible.com/forums/public/style_images/master/attachicon.gifScreen shot 2013-02-25 at 9.21.22 PM.png

 

I assume by "dashboard" you mean preferences?

 

Soli Deo Gloria,

Randy

No I mean Apples Dashboard. Accordance Widget

I am not sure about Version 10 but under 9 and before it automatically placed the installer on your desktop for you to click to install if you wanted. It still works fine with version 10. If it were not available I would agree with you coping options would be horrible.

 

-Dan

[Randy Cue]

No I mean Apples Dashboard. Accordance Widget

I am not sure about Version 10 but under 9 and before it automatically placed the installer on your desktop for you to click to install if you wanted. It still works fine with version 10. If it were not available I would agree with you coping options would be horrible.

 

-Dan

Thanks for the clarification, Dan. You taught me something new, and I appreciate it. Using the Accordance Widget is very similar to the command-option copy command. It doesn't quite do what I want it to, but perhaps I don't understand all of the possibilities. Thanks again, Dan.

 

Soli Deo Gloria,

Randy

Edited February 26, 2013 by Randy Cue

[twbeining]

Luoar,

 

First let me clarify that Accordance is my "Go To" application of choice when I study. I wish I could use it and only it, but right now it just does not have some things I personally need it to do. I am praying and hoping in time it will. That would truly make me happy as I think this is without a doubt the best application of its type.

 

When I say that there are a lot of resources not available I do not mean that there needs to be thousands more added. The resources available in Accordance are of excellent quality in my opinion and that is one of the things that makes Accordance stand out. For my purposes they are just lacking in good quality Catholic resources. There has already been discussion about this in the forums and we know from interaction that they are aware and interested in doing something about it. In the meantime I have no choice but to use another product to access what is missing here. I hope and pray that this can be changed and I don't have to go outside Accordance for these resources.

 

The other area where Accordance is lacking is how things I add to the application in the form of User Notes and User Tools needs some serious improvements. They are very lacking in search features, you can not highlight in them, would love to be able to attach notes to not only my own modules but also to mods produced by Accordance. The bottom line is I personally need my stuff to act exactly the same as theirs. My own notes and tools I build are just as important to me as the modules I purchase from Accordance and I need them to work in the same fashion.

 

I hope this sheds some light on the resources thing for you. It is not about quantity, it is more about the need for more to be available in certain areas of study.

 

Peace & Blessings,

Tim

[Darin Allen]

This is an interesting discussion. I think one of the advantages of software loyalty is having all of your resources in one place. A while ago, I made the decision that I was going to buy all of my non-biblical resources in the Kindle format. While I could also buy resources in iBooks, as I like their app design better, it makes a big difference to have all of my resources in one place.

 

While I like having all of my Bible study resources in one place, I've found that Accordance offers advantages beyond this. In particular, Accordance gets better the more resources you have in your Library. There is a certain synergy among resources as they contain cross-links to one another (The Comprehensive Cross-References tool is the best example). If I'm reading a commentary that references Josephus, it will often include a hyperlink that opens my Josephus module right to that section. Of course, this will only work if you own both the commentary and Josephus in Accordance. So, loyalty is rewarded here.

 

Certain features also become more "powerful" as you expand your Library. I think of Search All in particular. The Image search feature is incredibly useful if you own a lot of image-rich resources in Accordance. However, if you own your image-rich resources in another platform, this feature will not do much for you. Hence, loyalty is rewarded. Other features are similarly improved by the quantity and quality of resources you own in Accordance, such as the Dynamic Interlinear. All of these factors combine to make Accordance a dramatically enhanced tool for those who own a large and diverse library.

 

I know other software programs offer this kind of synergy among resources as well, so I don't mean to imply that Accordance is the only program that offers this. I just mean to affirm luoar's original post and thoughts on this topic.

Edited February 26, 2013 by Darin Allen

[Daniel Francis]

For arguments sake I would like to point out for me personally, while I know Logos has thousands of titles, i want very few of them and feel Accordance is only missing a few hundred books to make it complete enough. And personally the forthcoming New Interpreter's Bible will make me content enough to say Accordance would be enough.

 

-dan

[Bret Hicks]

And to reiterate, I think Accordance is a wonderful program, and I truly appreciate the hard work the folks have put into making this program so powerful and easy to use.

 

I have actually used all three of the major programs, and they each have their strengths. I still have BibleWorks installed in Parallels on my MacBook, but I only rarely fire it up to use some resource I already own there but do not have in Accordance. On the whole, given the complexity inherent in the power the programs possess, it is hard enough to learn all the things you can do with any one of them - much less to keep switching between them all.

 

It is great to have these tools available today. What a gift to those of us wanting to study, apply, and teach God's Word!

 

 

In Christ,

 

Bret

[twbeining]

I completely agree. I look forward to the day when I can get everything on one platform!

 

This is exactly how I feel. I look forward to the day when I use nothing but Accordance. Just not quite here yet.

 

Tim

[ukfraser]

This really got me thinking. I prefer AmiPro as a word processor and have used it since the early 90's but have eventually had to give it up a couple of years ago because the world uses Word. I have used HymnQuest every week since 2008 to prepare services and can't see any reason to move away as there is nothing that comes close to it! I had an old version of Zondervan and upgraded to Pradis which I regret as its not as good so am looking forward to accordance on windows so I use one product and its interface is better (though I still prefer the verse selection and NIV headings in Pradis). I haven't upgraded to accordance 10 as there is no need to for me (unlike moving from 8 to 9) and I only upgrade HymnQuest when I have a new music book which I need in the database. I haven't upgraded from snow leopard and tend to upgrade windows only when I get a new version of PhotoShop which requires it, though I now use Lightroom more so am unlikely to upgrade PhotoShop in the future. My version of Sibelius 3 had to be upgraded to 7 when I needed to start converting them to PDF on my MBP as I was using it more than on windows but there is a lot of unrest in the user community since AVID took it over and people will change if there is a viable alternative.

 

So in summary, I think that software reaches a level where it meets most of my needs and I stop on that version until I have to upgrade because of the OS or a required feature in the new version. I tend to research a lot before with parting with my cash (it took a year to get accordance) so I tend to stay with my decision. But I will change if there is something better, either feature or usability. And I will also change to something worse if it means I can work more easily with others.

Edited March 1, 2013 by ukfraser

[Michael Eppley]

I have used all open source and closed source apps that I know of, and decided to stick to two, one for the library and Accordance for the function. Accordance is the best, apart from I would like three things two are already mentioned; export customization, and daily study customization but I started to use an iphone app from a ministry that does a supper amazing job at this. The one thing that seems obvious to me but not to everyone else is a search right click. bringing a drop down box to how it searches.

This is like clicking in the highlight window and having it find everything highlighted a certain way, now you have to , yes I can't search detailed this way but I want a search that is easy and very intuitive.

[Timothy Jenney]

I don't know whether you are referring to Accordance or you your other mobile app, but Accordance will allow you to right-click (Ctrl-click) in the search entry box and select a variety of search commands and symbols.

I have used all open source and closed source apps that I know of, and decided to stick to two, one for the library and Accordance for the function. Accordance is the best, apart from I would like three things two are already mentioned; export customization, and daily study customization but I started to use an iphone app from a ministry that does a supper amazing job at this. The one thing that seems obvious to me but not to everyone else is a search right click. bringing a drop down box to how it searches.

This is like clicking in the highlight window and having it find everything highlighted a certain way, now you have to , yes I can't search detailed this way but I want a search that is easy and very intuitive.

[Michael Eppley]

I love competition as I think it keeps everyone going forward whether it be the Church(synergistic Competition) or products. That being said I tend to buy the best for my needs. I like windows 8, but buy and will continue to use Apples as my main computer. Its just easier to maintain one infrastructure. For all those mac fanatics who think that Apples are the only thing, they are good but not heavenly! Preach the Gospel not the mans creation, it will fail.

Accordance is the bomb, why it just works, but I use logos for the free book of the month, they tend to be just like books on the Kindle or..... I read those by themselves not in conjunction with everything else.

Believe it or not I also prefer BOOKS on paper with good bindings, and would love it if publishers would offer discounts for buying the digital and printed version. The Best of both worlds.