[sword-devel] Concerns about Alternate Versification

[Jonathan Morgan]

On Tue, Jan 6, 2009 at 3:08 PM, Jonathan Morgan <jonmmorgan at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Tue, Jan 6, 2009 at 2:51 PM, Greg Hellings <greg.hellings at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> 4. Bible references from commentaries, etc. use this master versification.
>>
>> Then the module creator needs to go through and convert all of their
>> references to that master versification.  Why would we do that when we
>> can just tell them they have the right to specify a preferred module?
>> One front-end might decide that the user is free to over-ride that, to
>> their own possible confusion, but that allows the module creator to
>> create the module correctly, instead of having to transfer it to a
>> master versification.  Think of how confused a user would be if they
>> click on a reference that says, "Matthew 3:17" and are taken instead
>> to their favorite Bible module to the key "Matthew 2:27."  Sure, it
>> might have the right content, but they would think the system was
>> broken - and I don't blame them.  Likewise if I see a print copy of
>> Matthew Henry's that refers me to Psalm 150:1 and then open SWORD and
>> want to read the passage there some other day and it has been changed
>> to Psalm 151:1 because of the differences in Psalm numbering - I'd be
>> utterly confused and would report invalid module content.
>
> Think how confused they would be likewise if the verse didn't say
> anything like what the commentary said it did.  Which would you
> prefer?

Also, it is quite possible to overcome this by displaying a status
message somewhere informing the user that it has gone to Psalm 151:1
because it is equivalent to Psalm 150:1 in the other versification.
The status message could even allow them to go to Psalm 150:1 in that
module if they decide that is really what they want (it isn't, unless
the module author encoded it badly, but that's besides the point).

The exact form of such a message is open to debate, but the fact
remains that this way is the only way to overcome both forms of
confusion (Psalm 150:1 doesn't say what the commentary said, and I
didn't want to go to Psalm 151:1).

Jon