[sword-devel] Important! Texts from Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, please help!

[Daniel Blake]

The thought I have about this topic goes straight to the objective of the
SWORD project.  Even if you could make operating system dependant modules
wouldn't that start a trend for the publishers to only release versions to
SWORD for Unix/Linux and not for Windows?  It is also my opinion that making
operating system dependant modules will take too much extra time and start
to divide the work force.

I would like to see many of the newer translations incorporated into SWORD,
but not at the expense of having to spend much time creating encryption
techniques so that people would have to purchase keys to use these texts.  I
think that would begin to lead the SWORD project into the same trap the OLB
got themselves into.  I have used the OLB ever since Larry made the DOS
version.  I have seen OLB go from a download only software package to buy
the CD if you want all of the features.  The ultimate outcome of this has
been to change the focus of the OLB project to one of how to finance the
creation of the CD's instead of producing a FREE or low cost bible software
package to get the Word out to the public.  The price of the OLB has been
increasing to the point that it is no longer low cost.  I would hate to see
the SWORD project fall into this same trap, it has to much going for it to
let it get side tracked by issues of finance.

My final thought is, that if the publishers won't let SWORD use "their"
texts without a large hassle then stick with the public domain texts that
are available, so that the SWORD project continues to produce quality bible
study material without legal strings attached.


God bless you all
Daniel Blake

> This is the current status. I need your help here what to say.
> Do we agree on making texts only available for Unix or do we say we want
to
> support both systems? I don't really know where to go from here, I'm also
a
> bit biased since I use Linux and many others would probably be
disappointed
> if they could not use texts on Windows.
>
> I though would argue that we need one publisher who gives SWORD-copies of
their
> texts and if it would only be for Unix. We then had a better stand to get
others to join
> us if they see they're not the first.
>
> However, this is my point, please help me folks!
>
>
> kind regards,
> Torsten Uhlmann
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> TUhlmann@debis.com
> TUhlmann@gmx.de
>
> http://www.bibletime.de
> http://www.tuhlmann.purespace.de
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Wise men still seek him!
>