BibleWorks is closing... - where do you go from here?

[Ben Spackman]

I've been a happy user, beta tester, and BW evangelist since before 2000, and very sad to see this happen. I use the free version of Logos as my research library, but have always done my OL work in BW (and some other things), since BW still does some things Logos can't, and does some of the same things better. As a Mac user, I hope to make it last as long as possible.

Thank you for everything you have enabled and made possible for me for the last 20 years, Bibleworks. Godspeed

[TM Pastor]

I have never posted here but have frequently searched the forum over the past 12 years for help about BibleWorks.

This is devastating news! As one stated, it is horrendous. I started using BibleWorks in 2007 with V7. Before then I still used books. I done my research and BibleWorks was by far superior than the other programs that I was looking for in language tools, and I have been using it ever since. I have upgraded every version from 7 to 10 + modules, and I will still use it until it just doesn’t work anymore! I have so many notes, info, and my own translations and commentaries on there; I don’t even use a book-Bible anymore; everything thing I do (classes, sermons, lectures, everything!) is on BibleWorks!

God Speed everyone at BibleWorks for making this great software available.

But, where do others go from here? And even though it seems to be true that there are fewer today who are interested in Bible languages, where do you send those students who are? I had just decided this past spring (the church I pastor sponsors a small Baptist seminary) that rather than referring language students to BibleWorks, I was going to require it. BibleWorks has everything + more than enough what a language student needs. They can choose for themselves what books to buy later. Most of the students here will not be able to afford Logos or Accordance to get the language tools that BibleWorks offers. I am not aware of any affordable software that comes close to BibleWorks. It is truly a great superior blessing!

I guess I don’t understand the business end, but why can’t BibleWorks10 just stay on the market as is? And then, LORD willing, perchance, in the future there might be a BibleWorks11.

In any case, I am very thankful to have what I have, and hopefully I will be using it unto the end.

[ERINCORRIGAN]

The comments above by Michael Bushell and these:


The point is that I still need BibleWorks myself and as long as, by God’s grace, I draw breath and have half a brain, it will be maintained and kept compatible with whatever nonsense Microsoft decides to throw at it. I will happily share any improvements or compatibility updates with anyone who has a valid BibleWorks 10 license. The only catch is that this means current users only and no technical support other then the forum and knowledge base. BibleWorks will no longer be sold. It will be an exclusive club. So if you are a BibleWorks 10 user, hang in there and keep cranking away at those Greek and Hebrew morphology databases. Let’s be thankful together for what God has enabled us to accomplish together over the last quarter century. (06-01-2018, 08:44 PM Thread: A note from Michael Bushell on the closure of BibleWorks)


But at some point we will post a CD image (ISO) containing installation files and all updates. That and your activation codes is all you will need going forward. (06-01-2018, 12:39 PM Thread: Technical questions as BibleWorks closes down)


The activation server will remain online for some time. If and when it goes away we will have a solution. So this is something you don't need to worry about. You will be able to install BW10 on new and old Windows systems for the foreseeable future. And that is all any software package can promise. (06-01-2018, 07:48 PM Thread: Technical questions as BibleWorks closes down)

should be encouraging enough to: 1) purchase a copy of BW10 if you don't already have one, 2) stay tuned to the forum, 3) trust God to show the way forward, especially any licensing issues.

Stay bold.

[shalommatt]

When I received the email, I thought it was a joke or some kind of a virus tricking one to click into it.
So, I went to BW site and found that this sad news is real! What a shock!

I started with BW4 back in too long ago to remember. That I upgraded to BW6. The date was 07-26-2004. Not that I have good memory. I still have the dated invoice nicely tugged inside the BW6 User Manual. Then, I upgraded to BW9, which I have been using.

I plan to upgrade to BW11 when I upgrade my PC near end of this year. Now, this news just drops like a bomb. BW is one of the few essential softwares that I must have. It has helped me tremendously in my preaching, exegesis (original languages) and my personal bible study.

Now, I am in for the long haul. My plan is to purchase a media distribution of BW10 (before June 15th). It will not be installed until near year end when I build a new PC.

As I am typing this, it just occurs to me that maybe our Lord is returning soon enough . He is coming so soon that we do not need a BW11.
May He come soon!

[Mark Allison]

https://www.accordancebible.com/Bibl...ftware+Blog%29

[ChrisW]

https://www.accordancebible.com/Bibl...ftware+Blog%29

Thanks, Mark for getting back to the initial topic. I suppose your link refers to my question in the original post: "What other Bible Software comes closest in features and speed to BibleWorks 10?"

I looked at the Accordance special offer, which looks interesting. It's a little difficult to figure out what is actually included in their Crossgrade Packages. Is the $149 'Crossover Basic Package for BW versions 8-10' (List Value $2,305.00) comparable to their 'Greek & Hebrew Discoverer Collection'? (List Price: $1,605.20 Our Price: $399.00 On Sale: $239.00).

I've only limited experience with Accordance (Lite), which performs faster than Logos on Mac. What features would I be missing in comparison to BW9/10?

[Mark Allison]

Thanks, Mark for getting back to the initial topic. I suppose your link refers to my question in the original post: "What other Bible Software comes closest in features and speed to BibleWorks 10?"

I looked at the Accordance special offer, which looks interesting. It's a little difficult to figure out what is actually included in their Crossgrade Packages. Is the $149 'Crossover Basic Package for BW versions 8-10' (List Value $2,305.00) comparable to their 'Greek & Hebrew Discoverer Collection'? (List Price: $1,605.20 Our Price: $399.00 On Sale: $239.00).

I've only limited experience with Accordance (Lite), which performs faster than Logos on Mac. What features would I be missing in comparison to BW9/10?

The BibleWorks Crossover packages are a great deal, even better than the "Greek & Hebrew Discoverer Collection", which is on sale right now. The packages have a lot of the same content, except for the following:

BibleWorks Crossover Package ($149):
Atlas
Timeline
More English Bibles: NASB, NRSV, CSB, JPS
ISBE
Church Fathers collection
No GNT28-T, but many Greek New Testaments
Liddell & Scott
Thayer
Wallace Greek
GKC Hebrew
Jouon-Muraoka Hebrew
MT-LXX Parallel
Vulgate
Orthodox GNT Set
Lots of International Bibles


Greek & Hebrew Discoverer (normally $399, on sale till June 11 for $239)
GNT28-T
GNT Diagrams
Spiq
TDNT
Stevens Greek
Thackeray LXX Greek


Like BibleWorks, Accordance is fast. You'll never wait for the results of a search, or for a window to load. Most of the features are very similar, including advanced features like graphical construct searches. I think the interface is a little more intuitive, but that may be because I'm more familiar with it. Anything you purchase will work on Mac, Windows, iOS and Android (although iOS and Android aren't quite as full-featured at this point). You're licensed to use Accordance on up to 5 devices. All our training and support is free (Over 100 podcasts, daily webinars, several full-day seminars each year across the country).

BTW, If you add the BibleWorks Crossover Add-on package for an additional $149, you also get:
NIV, NKJV, NLT
Targums in English and Aramaic (tagged)
Josephus in English and Greek (tagged)
Philo in English and Greek (tagged)
Pseudepigrapha in English and Greek (tagged)
GNT28
GNT Diagrams
LXX
LXX Lexicon
LXX Grammar
Tagged Greek Apostolic Fathers
Hebrew New Testament
Peshitta (NT and OT tagged)
Vulgate (tagged)

The BibleWorks Crossover packages really are the best deals I've ever seen from Accordance.

[Pathfinder]

What other Bible Software comes closest in features and speed to BibleWorks 10?

I bought BW10 last year after growing frustrated with Logos, and especially the need to buy extra bits to give me the Greek and Hebrew I was looking for. I had just finished a first-year koine Greek class and was looking to use the knowledge that I had acquired and found the basic Logos 6 frustrating to use. I for one do not plan on migrating to anything else so long as BW10 keeps working. Although I am not a BW power user, I appreciate the features and functions it offers.

This is the second major package to close up shop for me in the past 18 months, the other being The Master Genealogist. Life goes on and we adapt, and appreciate God's gifts to those who can produce things like BW.

[ChrisW]

The BibleWorks Crossover packages are a great deal, even better than the "Greek & Hebrew Discoverer Collection", which is on sale right now. ..

Like BibleWorks, Accordance is fast. You'll never wait for the results of a search, or for a window to load. Most of the features are very similar, including advanced features like graphical construct searches. ...

Thanks for sharing your experience with Accordance and the details of the offer, which looks very good. I will try to get a bit more familiar with its features and longterm outlook.

I bought BW10 last year after growing frustrated with Logos, ... This is the second major package to close up shop for me in the past 18 months, the other being The Master Genealogist. Life goes on and we adapt, and appreciate God's gifts to those who can produce things like BW.

I hope, I can keep BW running for as long as possible, too, but in my experience bit-rot sets in more quickly, than many realize. Actively supported software gets updates at least once a year. Without those updates, things quickly become difficult. I still have some software running in a Windows XP VM, but this can be cumbersome as well.

Nothing in the software world stays stable for very long. The VM Package gets updated, the host operating system gets updated, and sometimes the VMs get effected as well causing failures. This happens in VMware as well as Parallels. Using Windows 10 as a main OS is even worse in this respect: Versions 1607 and 1703 were quite stable, but 1709 and 1803 caused a lot of problems, even on fresh installs. Windows forces full OS upgrades every 6 months, which make it the most unstable platform of all (compared to macOS, Linux or iOS), unless you have access to the Enterprise LTSB version. Will BibleWorks be able to function reliably with frequent incompatible changes in Windows 10?

One reason I bought a lot of my resources for Logos, was that they had a long-term track record of transferring their library from version to version, without the need to rebuy them, as well as transferable and synchronized notes/highlights. They were a much smaller company in the beginning and largely kept their promises. Yet some things did not develop as expected. Engine upgrades are not really free any more, as promised and Logos 6/7 can be quite sluggish, even on a fast QuadCore computer with 32 GB of RAM.

I wish book resources could be licensed separately from the underlying software engine, so we would not suffer loss from vendor lock-in, especially when a company goes out of business. I think, I have paid for the NKJV on four or five different platforms over the years. A license for the NKJV, BDAG or HALOT should be valid, whether you first bought it in BW, Logos, Accordance, OliveTree, Laridian or Kindle. (Similar to songs bought on a CD or in iTunes, which can be transferred to an iPhone or a Huawei phone. You don't have to rebuy these licensed songs, just because a new music player comes out.)

[ejh]

I work overseas and recently made a visit to the States for this summer, then I heard the news about the BW. Shocked and saddened. I really want to say "THANK YOU!" to all who worked hard to make the BW available for Christian workers all around the globe.

I left my BW10 thumb drive at home overseas and here in the States I just bought a new laptop. I won't be able to return to my assigned area until late July or August and I don't know how I can install the BW10 to my new laptop. I really want to have the program updated to the latest, but I am afraid that my timeline is limited.

Can someone please help me how to figure out this issue? Is there any web link that I can download the BW10 online? I have the activation code.

Thanks in advance!

Esther