Accordance has risen to the top

[Michel Gilbert]

Hi,

 

Just like you can move preferred texts, tools, etc. to the top of the list, I've officially placed Accordance desktop above my other Bible software programs. Not that I won't use the other ones, but Accordance works best for the painstaking Hebrew analysis I'm doing.

 

I love using the iOS app offline. It too has risen above my other iOS Bible apps.

 

I also think this Forum is tops.

 

Thanks and regards,

 

Michel

[rcdeacon]

It is TOPS in my book and usage as well.

[Daniel Francis]

It is superior in my mind in so many ways... It is fast quick to start feature rich, and easy to use. I use both it and FL every day and on the odd day OT, I do also have OLB and WS but those get touched theses days a couple times a month at most. If it were possible to merge all my books into one app Accordance would be the app I would do it under.

 

-dan

[Michel Gilbert]

Hi Dan,

 

If the big three were ladies wisdom calling out to me, Accordance would be my wife, BW a rival wife, and Logos a concubine. My real wife often teases me about this. Also about mixing my biblical metaphors.

 

Regards,

 

Michel

[rft183]

I don't have nearly as many resources in Accordance as I do in Logos, but I find Accordance to be such a more pleasant experience that I tend to spend more time in it when I'm able.  If only it was available to me on all my devices, then it would definitely rise to the top for me.  I know that Oak Tree Software doesn't deal in vaporware, but the need for an Android app is real

[Daniel Francis]

I have no connection with Oaktree other than a longtime Accordance user... but considering there was a working prototype on an android tablet at a conference last November it is most assuredly not vapourware... Now when it gets released is anyones guess... I do know they have no interest in giving dates for good reason. But I feel safe if looking into my crystal ball and saying sometime this year the app should be out there... So that is a partially educated guess.... but I will be surprised if my GUESS turns out to be wrong.

 

-dan

[Unix]

I've decided that instead of trying to keep up with the hardware requirements of FL (CPU, monitor real estate, RAM, disk), I'll be swapping resources to have a better platform under Accordance. Later on I might be able to get a new laptop financed. My desktop computer is not particularly fast but good value for money. So for now both my laptop and desktop computers have the Ivy Bridge Intel architecture (the latter G2030, good value for money which is rare for Intel), even though I do really prefer AMD. I will however never buy another Intel CPU equipped computer. The fast AMD FX CPU equipped laptop I used to have, had an annoying software bug. Speaking of bugs, if You buy a laptop with an ordinary HDD, try getting a 500 GB disk instead of 1 TB, to generate less heat and wear.

For several Years I've used regular spinning HDD:s in laptops. Next time I'll go for a hybrid drive, OR if the laptop will have a possibilty to use two storage drives, one 256 GB SSD and one 500 GB HDD would be a good combination and should ensure more automated backup, which would be beneficial, the latter option might be optimal but at the same time I'll be looking for a great AMD CPU. AMD A12 has just come out, I don't know but I suppose it's the replacement for FX.

 

Can't maintain two platforms, but have to choose sides. I've chosen Accordance a while ago but I've spend less money during the past about 1⅓ Years than usually, because financially it has not looked like I can increase spending. So swapping is the option. That's why You see me dealing with used Bible Study software books sometimes.

 

When I see something at the Accordance storefront I'll probably be able to know what I want, as I've grown used to choosing.

 

Big choices in life such as relationships, are the gigantic and therefore hard decisions. Making hundreds of sort of small choices, small in comparison, are easy to me nowadays, I've some routine.

Edited March 27, 2017 by Unix

[Michel Gilbert]

Hi Unix,

 

Good point about hardware requirements. I still use Accordance on my 2006 MacBook, x32 with Snow Leopard for certain things.

 

Hi rft,

 

I would guess that Acc is aiming for the SBL meetings in Nov., for a beta version at least.

 

Regards,

 

Michel

[rft183]

Dan,

I know about the prototype on the Android tablet.  It's just that anytime anyone asks anything about the Android app, the response is that OakTree does not deal in vaporware.  I just wanted it known that I already know that, and that I'm not actually looking for a release date.  I'm just "registering my interest", as it were... I know that patience is a virtue, but I guess I'm just not that virtuous in that regard! lol

 

-Russel

[Daniel Francis]

Russel I am sorry if it felt like I was attacking in anyway....I have no horse in this race as I am a iOS user and very happy. That said I fully understand how the wait is hard. The only thing I really meant to say is the end is nigh.... Like I said I do not have any real insight but I would hope the alpha they were showing means it is closer to the end than the beginning... I wish I had something more substantial to offer than blind faith in the competence of Accordance programmers, but based on memory I think within  6 months of a sneak peak at iOS the 1.0 of it was released (it was over 6 years back so you must forgive me if my memory is not serving me well)***. The one thing that might be a bug for Android is years back i know it was very hard getting one version of an android app to work on the many hardware variations, indeed some early companies who had moved from iOS to enter the android world ending up going back to being iOS only having major issues trying to support numerous hardware configurations.

 

***Accordance Users Conference, which met from September 24-25 2010 was the first look at Accordance iOS and it was released December 30, 2010.

 

​All is to be taken with a large grain of salt from one as ignorant of these matters as I am, but my guess has been based on the iOS history which may not be a good thing to compare with but it is what I have.

 

-dan

Edited March 30, 2017 by Daniel Francis

[rft183]

No, I did not think that you were attacking me at all . I have an iPad, and I know what a great app OakTree has made for iOS. I'm really excited to see what they have in store for Android. I'm sure it will be first-rate. And I'm certain that it won't be released until it is!

[Julia Falling]

Russel – You are right – Accordance doesn't release any "half-baked" stuff.  Even the betas are good (but just a bit buggy, as would be expected in a beta).

[Unix]

The pace with which Accordance comes out with the actual modules that are leading the competition - and with that the quality and the many search fields and the hard-coded linking to other modules, makes me confident of that having this platform in my arsenal I can jump right to the frontline research at any time. See for example the SIL Exgetical Summaries Series and how it is functioning for all users right from start!
The big competitor made mistakes: They were too early to release a Max OS X version, they didn't predict that hardware development would not keep on forever at the same pace now as a decade ago, the released several tools and books prematurily, so that they now have to go through them painstakingly correcting everything and re-coding their massive catalogue to be on par with the inventions they've introduced since they made the original resource files - in many many cases their resource files have not been updated for about a decade.

 

With Accordance I can be certain about getting quality and that what I purchase at any point keeps its value for Years or Decades. Even though like I said I have routine to make choices, with Accordance I'm not forced to sift through many hundreds of really low value books each time when laying out strategies, sorting my library, finding the needle in the haystack, wanting to start on something new, or wanting hand-curated libraries that come bundled.

The advise I can give to OakTree, at least on my own behalf regarding what I would buy, is that I don't need massive amounts of books that each have very little value on their own. What I'm looking for are higher priced items: Especially monographs that were groundbreaking or for the first time introduced an angle to a topic; still to buy the syntax databases developed by Dr. Holmstedt; databases that would include references to from where the concluded data is taken and with stated overarching methods in some spectras; and I'll let You choose what You want to pursue, be it mostly Exegetics, Church History, Theology and intra-testamental Parallels developed from specific passages and Biblical authors, how the book of Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) impacted the NT, how a few Years down the road from now the DSS finds and all the most recent archaeological finds keep shaping concepts, and how the most recent linguistics impacts sermon-prep (such as Church and congregation teachings ensuing from the ancient texts and from Thomas Aquinas).

Accordance has not jumped on the junk-bundling bandwagon, and therefore has no need to sell me the very most typical content across all other platforms. I already have the best bits from WORDsearch 12 Silver Library (I have a subset of it, the licenses of roughly 250 books I intentionally completely left out in custom upgrade license pieced together by sales to me on my request); and from the Anglican and Catholic libraries of the big competitor.
I have not jumped on everything that sounds exciting, but have for two decades now incrementaly laid out strategies: What will I actually research in the long run, what will in a lasting way nourish me spiritually and shape my character, and what will in an effective way make me draw advantage of what others have found out about how sermons and lectures are built? It took me until now to settle all strategies, meaning there were areas within which I for the longest time just wasn't ready to dare to think I'd actually take steps foreward any time soon. So I had to really postpone any thoughts of sermon-prep until mid-last-Week.

I can't up the level of aquisition to where I could get large swaths of monographs and very specialised completely newly created databases, because I don't own anything but mid-level Libraries (the definition of mid-level being that an upgrade costs exactly around $400 provided it includes also at fraction of academic level resources), below that is low-end and above that is high-end. I've known for two Years now that I will perpetually be on the mid-level.

But when Accordance puts out something BIG I will buy it - be it bundled or not - a series or not, so I'm saving up for what the future holds. Meanwhile I don't look at the buzz: The most typical offerings, especially if it's just all the other platforms while Accordance is being different.

Every inch of what I see of Accordance in front of me, is highly competitive! I trust Accordance will be the first with a lot of things. I've prefered to buy from where quality and/or completeness was first released. I'm not locked into the other platforms but some of the bulk I do get from the two platforms that early on chose to include what to this day remained typical for to what all others provided: Meaning things like some of the most printed and stereotypical public domain works, clipart databases and cheap citations compilations.
I'm building my future on what Accordance can serve me Years and even a decade from now! There still are of course some quality modules such as texts I know I will buy, that are already in the store and even are sometimes on a sale, just postponed the purchases but I will buy.



There is a brief very old comment by Mikew about the other platforms that is so similar to my approach, that I want to link to from here: https://www.accordancebible.com/forums/topic/6915-largest-collection/?p=29977 - there is median-typical shallowness to the competitors of Accordance.

There is an old elevated discussion without much rabbit-holes which started with a blog post by R. Mansfield: https://www.accordancebible.com/forums/topic/14739-accordance-vs-print-accordance-vs-ebooks/?&do=findComment&comment=71179