Accordance for BibleWorks Users

[R. Mansfield]

Please help us spread the word about our new “Accordance for BibleWorks Users” page. This single page is designed to be a landing spot for BibleWorks users looking at their options in Accordance. This one page covers importing BW notes, Live Click, Crossover options, and more. 

 

Thanks for helping us get the word out!

[Julia Falling]

Sent the link to our pastor – he's a BibleWorks user who is getting pretty tired of Windows.

[jarcher]

Shared on Facebook.

[HansK]

Please note that on the Bibleworks forum it is stated (my words) that BW is not "dead", but that Mr Bushell is working on a transfer. No promise attached :-)

The program is still being updated (I know because I have BW 10 working on my Mac), but cannot be purchased at this moment.

So BW users have hope that their program will continue.

The information on the Accordance sites and those of Faithlife are somewhat biased IMHO.

 

I am happy however with the inspiration the programmers of Accordance had to implement the new Click feature :-)

Accordance is my first Bible study program to work with.

 

Hans

[Alistair]

Please note that on the Bibleworks forum it is stated (my words) that BW is not "dead", but that Mr Bushell is working on a transfer. No promise attached :-)

The program is still being updated (I know because I have BW 10 working on my Mac), but cannot be purchased at this moment.

So BW users have hope that their program will continue.

The information on the Accordance sites and those of Faithlife are somewhat biased IMHO.

 

I am happy however with the inspiration the programmers of Accordance had to implement the new Click feature :-)

Accordance is my first Bible study program to work with.

 

Hans

 

Hans is right to point out the facts regarding the status of Bibleworks lest OakTree staff (and users!) be considered guilty of Schadenfreude over the demise of what was (until recently) a competitor in the Bible software market.

 

I should add that AFAIK all comments from OakTree staff I have seen on the website and in this forum have spoken with the highest regard for the Bibleworks product, developers, sales personnel, and users.

[Michael J. Bolesta]

I should add that AFAIK all comments from OakTree staff I have seen on the website and in this forum have spoken with the highest regard for the Bibleworks product, developers, sales personnel, and users.

 

Agree.

[Diatheke76]

IMHO I don’t think Accordance or Logos are trying to take advantage in a bad way of BW’s demise. They’re just trying to offer another alternative to BW’s users so they can continue studying God’s Word. Whether BW’s continues getting updates or gets sold to someone else so they can continue developing the software is a total different story. The main point is that the software is not being sold anymore, so users need to find another alternative. So far both Accordance and Logos have tried the best they can to accommodate BW’s users to make their transition smooth and they are both doing it from a good well-intentioned business perspective.

Props to both companies for doing that!

[JohnABarnett]

BibleWorks users are rightly proud of the product they own. But if I were one of them (and I'm not), under the circumstances I would be (1) hoping for a sale and continued development of BW because of what I already own, and (2) looking for an alternative that is not a question mark in case my hopes are disappointed, either because of no suitable buyer or because a potential buyer might figure they need to make a significant course correction. 

Edited July 12, 2018 by JohnABarnett

[R. Mansfield]

Please note that on the Bibleworks forum it is stated (my words) that BW is not "dead", but that Mr Bushell is working on a transfer. No promise attached :-)

The program is still being updated (I know because I have BW 10 working on my Mac), but cannot be purchased at this moment.

So BW users have hope that their program will continue.

The information on the Accordance sites and those of Faithlife are somewhat biased IMHO.

 

Hans, I agree with you that the demise of BibleWorks as a purchasable product does not mean that current users have to necessarily do anything just yet. 

 

And just by way of reminder, our motivation for our BibleWorks emphasis came from BibleWorks users contacting us, beginning on June 1, the day of the announcement that “BibleWorks is closing” (the title of the email sent out to all users, including myself). In that email it was stated, “Accordingly as of June 15, 2018 BibleWorks will cease operation as a provider of Bible software tools.” Near the end of that email Michael Bushell stated, "We continue to pray that the Lord would provide a way for the program to continue, and we are exploring some possibilities. But there are no definite plans at present for future development.” 

 

While it’s fortunate that Michael B. is able to continue to update the BW engine (I noticed an update in my own install a few days ago), I also know that the rest of the staff was laid off. Outside of one person promising to keep BW v. 10 viable as long as he’s able, that’s all there is to the future of BibleWorks as of this moment. While previous customers are “okay for now,” new customers cannot purchase the software which effectively dead ends it outside of a deus ex machina event. 

 

And although BW users can continue using the software for the foreseeable future (may Michael B. be long-lived!) schools that were BW customers as recently as the Spring of this year have to especially scramble for the Fall semester. We’ve been in talks with numerous schools who have contacted us about transitioning them to Accordance. New students will need to purchase software, and former students and faculty will need to purchase and move over as well. 

 

If Accordance, or Faithlife, or OliveTree, or WordSearch, or any other company desired to purchase BibleWorks at this point (and I know of no company offering to do this), odds are they would not keep BibleWorks alive longterm. Rather, they would basically be purchasing a customer list so as to gradually move that customer base over to their software. We (and Faithlife, to be fair) have been able not only to provide a safety net to BibleWorks customers with Crossover/Crossgrade packages, but also to acquire new customers without having to buy out an entire company. 

 

As we’ve stated, we saw BibleWorks as “friendly competitors” and counted their employees as friends, too. We truly hate to see them go. But BibleWorks users will have to decide what they want to do. They can always just keep using BibleWorks for the foreseeable future. Or they can hedge their bets, purchase an Accordance BW Crossover package, and use both programs until the point comes that it’s no longer possible or practical to continue using BibleWorks.

 

At the very least, options are always nice to have, and we’ve done our best to offer one that’s both affordable and comparable to the tools BibleWorks users had grown accustomed.

[Michel Gilbert]

Hi,

 

There is also something else to consider. BW on a Mac in its Wine Bottle has not reached the level of full functionality. I know BW is releasing a 64 bit Wine version, so it will continue to work past Mojave. That is wonderful. But, we Mac users have to hedge our bets as to whether BW will ever have full functionality on a Mac (vs in a Windows VM, which I'm turning away from). I have my doubts about this, so I thought it would be safer to take advantage of Acc's offers. It has helped to ease my mind going forward on the Mac.

 

Overall, I'm grateful for how Acc addressed the whole situation.

 

Regards,

 

Michel

[HansK]

Thanks Rick for your reply. I fully agree with your view on this situation.

[John Fidel]

Rick,

Your post is well stated. Best of intentions and a solid business plan are not always the same.