As I continue posting on the benefits of Accordance, I want to make perfectly clear the extent of what I am able to say about Accordance with respect to the other premier software products on the market. I have not had first-hand experience with BibleWorks and therefore I am not in a position to speak about Accordance’s advantages in comparison. I have mentioned that on more than one occasion colleagues and professors who have had experience using both have told me that Accordance is better. It is true that on the whole these folks have also been big Mac people. My perception is people who love Accordance also love Mac. While I am no PC basher, I do find Mac has advantages over the PC. I have had the opportunity to use both for extended periods of time (PC = 10yrs and Mac = 3yrs) and I think Mac is the way to go if one is contemplating the purchase of a new computer.
I am aware that Logos has made significant strides to gain a market share in the high-end Bible software arena. Logos historically had been not much more than an electronic library with little to no primary source modules. About five years or so ago, however, Logos rolled out a new product and it looks pretty good. I surveyed their website recently and it appears that Logos can provide scholars and pastors with solid resource for biblical studies. While I would not invest in it myself for a number of reasons, I think it would be an adequate program. Logos has many ministry-oriented modules (even magazines apparently) that Accordance and BibleWorks don’t and this may appeal to some. I am personally not interested in collecting a bunch of books and magazines in an electronic format. I am still “old school” enough that if I’m going to read something, I don’t want to read it on a screen. For me the benefits of Bible software are the research capabilities: the ability to have at one’s fingertips lexicons, commentaries, grammars, etc; as well as the ability to have vital linguistic information available with the move of a mouse or a click. As best I can tell Accordance does this better than any other product on the market.
I am aware that Logos has made significant strides to gain a market share in the high-end Bible software arena. Logos historically had been not much more than an electronic library with little to no primary source modules. About five years or so ago, however, Logos rolled out a new product and it looks pretty good. I surveyed their website recently and it appears that Logos can provide scholars and pastors with solid resource for biblical studies. While I would not invest in it myself for a number of reasons, I think it would be an adequate program. Logos has many ministry-oriented modules (even magazines apparently) that Accordance and BibleWorks don’t and this may appeal to some. I am personally not interested in collecting a bunch of books and magazines in an electronic format. I am still “old school” enough that if I’m going to read something, I don’t want to read it on a screen. For me the benefits of Bible software are the research capabilities: the ability to have at one’s fingertips lexicons, commentaries, grammars, etc; as well as the ability to have vital linguistic information available with the move of a mouse or a click. As best I can tell Accordance does this better than any other product on the market.
1 comment:
I think the area that Logos is so brilliant at is providing a huge number of resources electronically. So I see Logos the main strength of Lgoos, in its current incarnation, as a "commentary and reference" library. I don't have regular access to a seminary library and often the resources I need I can buy only on Logos in electronic format. Because I travel a lot, these materials are always with me as I study.
That said, particularly if you are a Mac user, the Logos software is weak. This in some ways can be expected because the program is less than a year old. So if you want to do serious exegetical or language studies on the Mac, you really need Accordance.
With time, I am of the belief that Logos will probably improve their mac product to the point that it will meet the needs of most people. However, as a student, I can see a good case, if you can afford it, to have both.
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