e-Sword wiki

From Software Informer

Programs:e-Sword

e-Sword is a Bible study computer software package created by Rick Meyers and developed for Microsoft Windows and Pocket PC. Development started in January 2000. Since that time, it has continually grown in popularity, reaching 7,000,000 downloads in January 2008.^[2] e-Sword supports several English translations, as well as translations into many other languages.

[edit] Purpose

Rick Meyers aspired to make Bible study freely available to anyone, while also providing power and depth to research. His theme verse is Matthew 10:8 "Freely you receive. Freely give". Rick Meyers states on the e-Sword homepage:

As a Bible student and teacher I have experienced the necessary work involved in searching the Scriptures for the competent preparation of a Bible study, Sunday school lesson, or a sermon. There are volumes of books available as study tools (and the Christian community is indebted to the various authors' perseverance and scholarship), but there is not enough time, money, or shelf space to properly take advantage of these resources. Computer software has changed the way we can study the Word of GOD. With a simple search or click of the mouse button, we now have access to these same volumes of scholarship within seconds!^[3]

[edit] Different versions

Pocket e-Sword 1.0 was released in December 2003. By May 2007 there had been 1,000,000 downloads of Pocket e-Sword.^[2] This is the version that runs on the Pocket PC. Development for e-Sword Live started in November 2007. It went public in May 2008. This is the web based version.

[edit] e-Sword Live Features

The web version offers the following features:

• Bible
• Commentary
• Dictionary
• Lexicons
• Topical Bible

[edit] Pocket e-Sword Features

Version 3.0.1 offers the following components:

• Bible
• Commentary
• Dictionary
• Devotional
• Study Notes

These components offer the same functionality as those of e-Sword. Thus far, only one utility program is available for users to create their own resources.

[edit] e-Sword Features

Version 7.9.8 offers the following components and functionality:

The program allows the user to view the text of the Bible, Bible commentaries, study notes and dictionaries. Through its customizable layout the user can chose which of these resources to view at once, or how they are arranged in an optional split screen view.^[4]

[edit] The e-Sword License

The inspiration for the license used by e-Sword comes from Matthew 10:8. "Freely you receive. Freely give". The major intent of the license is:

• e-Sword is to be distributed gratis;^[5]
• e-Sword resources are not to be sold at a profit;
• e-Sword content is not to be distributed on a for-profit website;^[6]

All documentation and modules fall under this license, unless the documentation or module creator has specified a different license. Most user created documentation uses the Creative Commons Attribution - Non Commercial - Share alike 2.0 License. Starting with version 7.8.1, a PDF copy of the e-Sword license has been installed in the e-Sword directory, as part of the program installation. The license is also displayed from the Help Menu.

[edit] Official Resources

Official resources can be found at the e-Sword download page. Resources in roughly 34 languages are available from this site.

[edit] Commercial Resources

While eStudySource is the primary outlet of resources that must be purchased.^[7], other publishers, such as The Lockman Foundation, also sell e-Sword resources.

[edit] Users

The projects of a small group of e-Sword activists are not officially sanctioned. The results of those projects have spurred the popularity of the program.

[edit] User Support Groups

English is the dominant language of the support lists. Venues for Korean, Dutch, German, Spanish, Romanian, and French exist. Korean users are supported by a web forum. French, German, Dutch, and Romanian users are supported by mailing lists on Yahoogroups. Spanish and English users are supported by mailing lists, and web forums hosted at various sites on the Internet. The size of these groups ranges from 5,342 on the English eSword to Twelve on the French e-Sword list. eSword-Accessibility provides some support for accessibility features related to E-Sword.

[edit] User Created Utility Programs

Users have created a number of tools to ease the process of creating new resources. The most popular utility programs are:

• Ben's e-Sword Tool 2.0, used to import text files into different types of resources;
• Module Utility Program, used for creating MAP/graphic resources;
• Text2DAO, used for creating most resource types;
• TheWORDpad Editor, used for editing existing resources;
• The Tooltip Generator converts scriptural references that, when moused-over, will be displayed as a tooltip;
• FixStrong's, used for converting Bibles to e-Sword 7.8 specifications;

[edit] User Created Resources

The utility programs have made it easier for users to create, and distribute resources. STEP modules are the only resource type that users have not created, and subsequently distributed. Users have created resources in sixty different languages ranging from Lugandan to Klingon. English and Spanish are the most popular modern languages. Hebrew and Greek are the most popular Biblical languages.

[edit] Locating Resources

Due to the absence of a centralized listing of user created e-Sword resources, there has been some duplication of effort in creating resources. For example, there are five different versions of the Didache.

• Original Languages Library contains a current list of all publicly distributed Biblical language resources, along with where they can be obtained from;
• Premium e-Sword Modules restricts itself to resources that are commercially distributed.
• e-Sword en español maintains a list of Spanish language resources.
• e-Sword Users is attempting to take on the role of the centralized listing place for user made e-Sword Resources.
• The sporadically issued Currently Available e-Sword Resources attempts to list the name and location of modules for e-Sword;

[edit] Reviews of e-Sword

• Bible Software Review (20 October 2005)
• Christian Computing Magazine
• Christian Computing Magazine
• Michael Hansen Studying the Bible for Free Stimulus Volume 12 Number 3 August 2004 page 33 - 38

[edit] Reviews of Pocket e-Sword

• Bible Software Review

[edit] Awards for Pocket e-Sword

• 2004 Pocket PC Magazine Text and Reference Bible Software
• 2005 Pocket PC Magazine Finalist
• 2006 Pocket PC Magazine
• 2007 Pocket PC Best Software Awards (Religious) : Finalist

[edit] Surveys

For most of 2005, Bible software blog ran a survey on what Bible study Software was used. e-Sword garnered the most votes in the free/shareware category. It also had more votes than any of the Commercial programs.^[8]

[edit] References