What would you like to see in BibleWorks 10?

[bkMitchell]

If, my memory services me correctly it was on June 28th, 2011 that I ordered my copy of BibleWorks9. Meaning, that current version of BibleWorks is about a year a half old. That's not too old I guess? So by now most of BibleWorks' user base has had time to update to version 9 and play around with it. So, after using and getting to know BibleWorks9 I pose the following:

1. What would you like to see in version 10 of BibleWorks?
2. Is, there anything that you would like BibleWorks to retain?
3. Is, there anything that you would like BibleWorks to get rid of?
4. Is, there anything that you would like BibleWorks to add or change?

[MortenJensen]

Two things:
- BWs dealbreaker to me is the Summary Tab. That's where I start all my exegesis. So: I would like BW to add more tagged modules. As many grammars and dictionaries as possible. It is already quite good - but one resource that would be really really helpful is the Baylor series on the Greek text. As far as I can see, the Resource Tab is unmatched by Accordance and Logos - and if BW keeps adding resources with "Focus on the Text" rather than just books in East and West, they will keep a lead here!
- They should work on the text-collections. It is next to impossible at the moment to get students to find a text. Where is "Songs of Solomon" hidden? Which books should I open to have all my translations of it and so on. As flexible as it is to group texts in languages, it is also a mess from a plain user-perspective where a grouping into text-category would be much more helpful.

So:
- keep the "Focus on the Text".
- get some user-feedback from newbies and instructors to flatten the steep learning curve demanded for new users.

Morten

[MortenJensen]

Forgot one thing: I know it has been discussed countless times, but it is a problem for BW not having an iOS/Android-version. Just something small and downscaled. Something that would enable you to have a couple of bible-versions and the Hebrew and Greek texts on you all the time.

At least: This is a deal-breaker to many of my students and I had a hard time convincing them to buy BW and not Accordance for this reason alone.

The windows-tab-solution is not helping a lot here. Android and Apple are selling much much more than windows-tabs.

This is not to start another round on this issue. I am just afraid that sales are hurting for this reason.

Morten

[Donald Cobb]

If, my memory services me correctly it was on June 28th, 2011 that I ordered my copy of BibleWorks9. Meaning, that current version of BibleWorks is about a year a half old. That's not too old I guess? So by now most of BibleWorks' user base has had time to update to version 9 and play around with it. So, after using and getting to know BibleWorks9 I pose the following:

1. What would you like to see in version 10 of BibleWorks?
2. Is, there anything that you would like BibleWorks to retain?
3. Is, there anything that you would like BibleWorks to get rid of?
4. Is, there anything that you would like BibleWorks to add or change?

Great question. For #2 and 3, Just about everything is worth retaining. The only thing for which I've never really seen the usefulness in BW9 is the "version" pane, which gives you information you can get anyway by hovering the mouse over the version name in the Browse window.

In terms of helpful additions, I would love to see the following:

Visuals

It would be nice to have the possibility of setting single versions in the Browse Window in such a way that breaks are made according to paragraphs and not verses (you can actually do this in multiple version mode if you set it up for several verses, but it's far from ideal for at least a couple reasons). Without this, BW isn't really a great program for simply reading files.

Ressources

Greek

I would love to see some more morphologically tagged versions of non-Biblical Koine and Classical Greek texts, e.g., Epictetus, Plato, etc. Text-only versions for several of these can already be found in the User built ressources, and are easy enough to integrate. But it would be nice to have the morphology versions for the links to vocabulary and use with the search engine ("cross version search mode").

It would be very helpful to have a critical apparatus with the LXX, especially as there are sometimes whole passages that are missing in Rahlfs (e.g., a whole section of the David and Goliath passage). If it could be searched along with BGT and BGM that would be wonderful.

Any chance of getting some tagged facsimiles of some of the more important papyri, along with their transcriptions, like p46, p72, p75, etc.?

English

The Fairly recently translated English version of the LXX/Old Greek (NETS) is freely available online. Any chance of having that added?

Hebrew

In the non-vocalized Hebrew texts (Dead Sea Scrolls principally, but also the Samaritan Pentateuch in the user-built module), the שׁ (= v) and the שׂ (= f) are represented by a third letter (ש = X). This means that these texts will be eliminated from same language searches, and also come up as variants when using the Text Comparison Settings. It would be nice to harmonize all this!

Also, this may be asking for the moon, but in same language searches, I believe that the mater lectionis readings (in Qumran for example) do not show up in string searches when there are differences on that level with WTT. It would be nice to have a greater coherence between these modules (I believe it's possible to get around this by using WTM as base version, though, if I remember correctly some previous searches).

How about morphologically tagged Hebrew text of some of the important talmudic ressources?

I would love to see some improvement in the lexicons for the Targums, as well as vocalized texts for more of these than are currently available (i.e., only one for the moment).

Any chance of getting some tagged manuscript facsimiles for some of the Dead Sea Scrolls (either Biblical texts or sectarian works)?

* * * * * * * * * *

How's that for starters? IMO, these things would make a future version of BW even more powerful than it is. As an aside, I've been using BW since version 3, going back to 1997, and I've always been impressed to see how BW has evolved and kept in step with my growing needs as pastor, pastor trainer, then Seminary professor. Keep up the good work!

Donald Cobb
Aix-en-Provence, France

[Peter]

Great question ! I'd like to see the morphological tagged OT Peschitta (available in the internet already) and an update of the CNTTS apparatus, with more features and more manuscripts. This apparatus was the key element why I updated on BW 9 and I haven't regred it.
When do you think BW 10 will be released ?
Yours in Christ !
Peter, Germany

[EricInSeattle]

Great question ! I'd like to see the morphological tagged OT Peschitta (available in the internet already) and an update of the CNTTS apparatus, with more features and more manuscripts. This apparatus was the key element why I updated on BW 9 and I haven't regred it.
When do you think BW 10 will be released ?
Yours in Christ !
Peter, Germany

I've been waiting for an OT Peshitta for years. When I inquired a year or two ago, they were "working" on it.

Unless it's imminent, I may have to switch to one of the competitors, both of whom have it. Does anyone have a recommendation as to who has the best version? Or is there an online database that I can download myself and add to BibleWorks?

At present I'm using the PEH for the Peshitta NT, supplemented with the PHV which I downloaded to get the vowel pointings. It would be nice if BibleWorks would come out with not only an OT Peshitta but also a revision of the NT, so that both are tagged, contain vowel pointing and are viewable in standard Hebrew characters.

PLEASE, PLEASE!!!

Eric

[calvary]

I sure do miss Robertson's Word Pictures being in BW.

[Andrew Wilson]

Maybe this is something someone has already suggested, or that has been thought about at length by Bibleworks staff, but I would really like to see a change in the way the command line responds to mistakes. At the moment, if you type in an invalid command line search, it prompts a pop-up box telling you that you have made a mistake, but then it blanks out what you have just written. I would prefer it to leave the command line mistake in place so you only have to change one character to get the thing to work, rather than having to re-type the whole thing again.

Andrew

[robrecht]

Great question. For #2 and 3, Just about everything is worth retaining. The only thing for which I've never really seen the usefulness in BW9 is the "version" pane, which gives you information you can get anyway by hovering the mouse over the version name in the Browse window.

In terms of helpful additions, I would love to see the following:

Visuals

It would be nice to have the possibility of setting single versions in the Browse Window in such a way that breaks are made according to paragraphs and not verses (you can actually do this in multiple version mode if you set it up for several verses, but it's far from ideal for at least a couple reasons). Without this, BW isn't really a great program for simply reading files.

Ressources

Greek

I would love to see some more morphologically tagged versions of non-Biblical Koine and Classical Greek texts, e.g., Epictetus, Plato, etc. Text-only versions for several of these can already be found in the User built ressources, and are easy enough to integrate. But it would be nice to have the morphology versions for the links to vocabulary and use with the search engine ("cross version search mode").

It would be very helpful to have a critical apparatus with the LXX, especially as there are sometimes whole passages that are missing in Rahlfs (e.g., a whole section of the David and Goliath passage). If it could be searched along with BGT and BGM that would be wonderful.

Any chance of getting some tagged facsimiles of some of the more important papyri, along with their transcriptions, like p46, p72, p75, etc.?

English

The Fairly recently translated English version of the LXX/Old Greek (NETS) is freely available online. Any chance of having that added?

Hebrew

In the non-vocalized Hebrew texts (Dead Sea Scrolls principally, but also the Samaritan Pentateuch in the user-built module), the שׁ (= v) and the שׂ (= f) are represented by a third letter (ש = X). This means that these texts will be eliminated from same language searches, and also come up as variants when using the Text Comparison Settings. It would be nice to harmonize all this!

Also, this may be asking for the moon, but in same language searches, I believe that the mater lectionis readings (in Qumran for example) do not show up in string searches when there are differences on that level with WTT. It would be nice to have a greater coherence between these modules (I believe it's possible to get around this by using WTM as base version, though, if I remember correctly some previous searches).

How about morphologically tagged Hebrew text of some of the important talmudic ressources?

I would love to see some improvement in the lexicons for the Targums, as well as vocalized texts for more of these than are currently available (i.e., only one for the moment).

Any chance of getting some tagged manuscript facsimiles for some of the Dead Sea Scrolls (either Biblical texts or sectarian works)?

* * * * * * * * * *

How's that for starters? IMO, these things would make a future version of BW even more powerful than it is. As an aside, I've been using BW since version 3, going back to 1997, and I've always been impressed to see how BW has evolved and kept in step with my growing needs as pastor, pastor trainer, then Seminary professor. Keep up the good work!

Donald Cobb
Aix-en-Provence, France

I think these are all excellent suggestions!

[MGVH]

• Update the GING Greek-English lexicon w/ the new The Concise Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament by Danker
• NETS (New English Translation of the Septuagint)
• OT Syriac Peshitta and a translation even if it means Lamsa's
• Better integration of Moody Bible Atlas (doesn't really even show up most times in Resources; would like a right-click link to a place name as happens w/ BW Bible maps)