I have given a lot of thought to this issue as well. I agree, a bible software can only be as good as its modules. In the past, I have advocated a more open content creation environment. If content creation tools were in the hands of content creators and not just programmers, I believe we would see a much wider user base and a much richer module selection. But as Rev. Drake has pointed out there also needs to be a mechanism in place to securely distribute copyrighted modules. I believe the best way to do this is through a third party company.
MY VISION: Suppose that The Crosswire Bible Society made a program available to content providers that would enable them to create Sword modules. For the sake of discussion, lets call this program SwordWriter. Pastor Jones has preached for 25 years. Each week he hand writes a complete manuscript that he carries into the pulpit. For the past 3 years his wife has been entering the 25 years worth of sermons into the computer. With SwordWritter she can now convert these files into Sword modules and make them available on the churches web site. Anyone in the world can now download his 25 years of work and have it all in an easy to use, searchable free program from the Sword Project. Professor Craft has published 14 scholarly journal articles and has a couple more in the works. He would like to share his research with others and so he has converted his articles to HTML and created a web site. He has also used SwordWritter to convert his articles into Sword modules ready to integrate into anyone's digital library. John has been reading the works of Jonathan Edwards and George Whitfield and feels lead to help distribute these works as Sword modules. With the help of a few other volunteers and SwordWritter he makes the collected works of both authors available on his web site. Multiply these three examples times 1000 and I believe we will start to scratch the surface of what is possible through Sword. But there is more. We have not mentioned the copyrighted works yet. The likelihood that Zondervan, IVP, Broadman & Holman, Moody, and other publishers are going to download SwordWritter and use it to convert their Bible translations, and commentaries into Sword modules for free distribution is null. Since we are dreaming, lets suppose there was a third party company. We will call it eScabbard for the sake of discussion. This company, eScabbard, is able to approach the big publishing companies with an offer to make their material available to a blossoming audience of users. eScabbard insures the publishers that they are able to securely distribute the modules without fear of widespread pirating. They are able to undercut the prices of the commercial software makers because the software engine itself is created by a team of dedicated volunteers. ---- Joe Christian is looking for a good bible software program. Perhaps he is looking for a low cost alternative to Logos/BibleWorks/QuickVerse or perhaps he wants to run an OS other than Windoze. Whatever the case, he stumbles upon The Sword Project, downloads the application along with several free modules. He is impressed. He finds a web site with links to other web sites offering free modules. He finds Pastor Jones' site and since he is currently studying the Book of Acts he downloads the sermons on those texts along with the ones from the pastoral epistles, just for good measure. He notices that several New Testament scholar's have also made their work available and he downloads them into his library as well. He orders a copy of The Great Awakening CD from a guy named John and finds several other modules of interest. He then visits the eScabbard web site and buys a Sword compatible NLT and NASB along with a New American Commentary on Acts. He is able to download, purchase and unlock the titles straight from the web, or purchase a CD. His digital library continues to grow as he finds a wealth of free and purchasable material that can be easily integrated into his Sword program. Now that there is a wealth of freely distributable material in Sword Format, Pastor Jones decides to take all of his material, bundle it with the KJV, the WEB, and a few other classic works. He enlists a programmer from his congregation to customize a Sword distribution with their churches logo on the splash and hand selected titles from Pastor Jones. They make 2,000 copies and give them away in there community as part of an evangelistic campaign. The idea catches on and several other churches do the same. ----- In order for this dream to become a reality a few things are going to need to happen. First we are going to have to give up our visions of building a Cathedral with tightly controlled content handed down by a small cyber-presbytery. I will try to refrain from a Baptist educed rant on the legitimacy of soul competency and the priesthood of the believer, but I do believe that we should trust Tom, Dick, and Brother Harold to decide what content they want to create and obtain from others. (BTW if you are an opensouce programmer or are on this list and have not read "The Cathedral and the Bazaar" shame on you.) Second, we need something akin to the SwordWriter program mentioned above. I know this is a little premature for several reasons. I am not trying to put pressure on anyone, I am just setting forth a vision. Third, a secure unlocking mechanism needs to be in place for a third party company like eScabbard to utilize. I know there is a locking mechanism now, but I'm not sure how it works or if it is conducive to third party distribution. I have been lurking on this list for quite some time now, I've thrown my comments in now and then, I helped with the new Sword web site, but I wish I was able to do more. I really believe in this project and want to see it succeed. I am not sure how my vision lines up with the vision of the inner circle, and since I am not a programmer, perhaps no one has even read down this far. These are just my thoughts on the issue. I hope I am not speaking out of turn. :) by grace alone, Don A. Elbourne Jr. http://elbourne.org ----- Original Message ----- From: "Barry Drake" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Tuesday, June 18, 2002 1:59 PM Subject: [sword-devel] Copyrights and cash > Hi there .... > > I've been thinking a lot about the big copyrights issue. The Sword Project > has some exceptional software to offer now. The performance outshines any > of the commercial programs and the potential is growing rapidly. The Sword > library itself is awesome and completely platform independent. But at the > end of the day, it is only as useful as the modules that we are able to > offer. In English speaking countries, the majority of Christians seem to > want the NIV. Second to that is possibly the NRSV maybe followed by the > NJB. I could be wrong, but I guess there will be few other real > contenders. > > We may eventually get some success with the copright holder of the NRSV - > but Zondervan will never, I'm sure allow free issue of the NIV. Is it > totally against the policy of the Sword Project (that's us, I think) to > refuse to allow anyone to charge a copyright fee for a locked module which > we would provide? > > I know we have no mechanism or desire to handle copyright funds. Could we > not consider arranging with a copyright holder together with a commercial > retail organisation such as Amazon to handle the commercial side of > transactions involving downloadable modules only? Or maybe Zondervan > themselves could set up a mechanism to arrange the supply of the Sword > module? > > This would not mean that we would (ever) charge for the software. Simply > make it available as we do now, but with a method of buying copyrighted > modules. > > I seriously believe we ought to do something in that direction and would > like to propose that listmembers offer their thoughts. > > God bless, > > Barry > > From Barry Drake (The Revd - minister of the Arnold and the Netherfield > United > Reformed Churches, Nottingham - see http://www.arnold-urc.supanet.com for > our > church homepages). > > Replies - [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Fax: 0705 069 8746 > > > >
