[sword-devel] New to the List

[Casey Cardwell]

Hello All,   I'm completely new to the list and to the Sword project, but very interested in lending a hand.  Most everything following is introduction from me to you, and can be skipped if you're not interested.    <INTRODUCTION> I'm a senior in the Software Engineering major at the Oregon Institute of Technology (OIT), but am leaving that to pursue a degree or two in theology.    God has given me a gift for programming, but unfortuantely, I have a severe lack of interest in technology.  Thus I am extremely ignorant in regards to the standards and the lingo used when speaking of the modules and their development.    I am primarily a C++ Windows developer - This is where my real gift lies - so I can more than likely understand anything you tell me in "C++/Windows-Speak", but will be like a 4 year old when you try to explain the module encoding and whatnot.   My senior project at OIT is a Bible study system.  I've integrated a few Bible versions including a Greek new testament, Nave's Topical Textbook, the New Topical Textbook, Easton's Bible Dictionary, a names dictionary, 3 commentaries, Titles and Cross-Refs, a Greek Lexicon and Concordance, and naturally all the searching, highlighting, notes, etc.  All of my resources have been found freely on-line (except for the NIV and NASB Bibles that I parsed off the net - I don't know if that was legal or not since I'm not distributing anything).  I've been experimenting with using Microsoft Access for my Bible resources, but have primarily decided against it and stuck with plain text resources.  </INTRODUCTION>   As I said, I'm interested in getting involved and contributing what I can, but I'm afraid that I'm quite ignorant about how these things work.  In this respect, I think I'll go about as far as anyone wants to help me with.   I also have a selfish desire to learn how to take some of the Sword modules and put them into plain text for use with my own personal development here at OIT.  If anyone is not too upset with me by this, I would be grateful to learn more - I am completely unwilling, however, to simply take what so many people have poured hours into without giving anything in return, if this is the case then I have not interest in pursuing it.    I hope that I can become a contributing member to the project - and thus hope that someone will be willing to tutor me a bit in how to get there.   Thanks a bunch!   God Bless! -Casey