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Comunity oriented forks

Submitted by lukoie on Tue, 09/08/2009 - 22:43

Can i suggest some ideas to implement in your software?
- I have seen many software out there with autoupdate possibility. And its really cool, to just click one button to update the software. Can you implement such a thing, please?

- By the way, is there anything like a roadmap for BPBible?

- I'm so sorry for my stupidness, but i cannot find on the entire website, even in FAQ section what BPBible stands for? What "BP" is?
And let me assure you, that it is extremely hard to remember such a name. Are you planing to keep this name?

- Can you use some sort of browser in your software, like WebKit, for example, and make it possible to use BPBible as a community tool, with login/password, moderators, public discussions per-verse, topic discussions, and so on. SO, this community stuff you dont need to code, you can make it opensourse, and someone else could take care of comunity thing. This will make BPBible outstanding piece of bible study software! You can host a list of comunities, but the actual code can be hosted by communities themselves. They can be open or close comunities. I have some sort of sowtware wich can already do this. Do you want me to give you the link?

- In our comunity we dont need so much things you offer in BPBible, but we definitely need to simplificate some parts of the interface. Does you program has some kind of MVC(model/view/controller), to simply make a fork with different interface, but to be able to update for the future releases?
Actually, what we need is just one version, made by our group, along with original text(hebrew/greek) in one window. Basically, i have some more points about interface design, but i'm not sure if it is possible to ask some of you guys...
Actually, you heard our need, what do you suggest me to do, to make it work?

Thanx in advance.

PS By the way, can you add some information about your team? Along with the roadmap and deadlines, if possibe?
Cheers

‹ Psyco Bible version creation tool? ›
#1Submitted by Ben Morgan on Tue, 09/08/2009 - 23:54.

I have seen many software out

I have seen many software out there with autoupdate possibility. And its really cool, to just click one button to update the software. Can you implement such a thing, please?

We are currently moving from wxPython to a XUL-based application (i.e. based on the same engine as Firefox is). I think this should allow updating much more easily.

By the way, is there anything like a roadmap for BPBible?

There is the issue tracker here: http://code.google.com/p/bpbible/issues/list
This includes both enhancements and bug reports. But we don't currently have a roadmap with dates or deadlines - I don't think they have that much value, as deadlines are hard to give. We work on this in our spare time; how much we can do on it depends on how much spare time we have.

I'm so sorry for my stupidness, but i cannot find on the entire website, even in FAQ section what BPBible stands for? What "BP" is?
And let me assure you, that it is extremely hard to remember such a name. Are you planing to keep this name?

It doesn't really stand for anything. The problem with renaming it is that every other name you can think of (just about) is taken.

Can you use some sort of browser in your software, like WebKit, for example, and make it possible to use BPBible as a community tool, with login/password, moderators, public discussions per-verse, topic discussions, and so on. SO, this community stuff you dont need to code, you can make it opensourse, and someone else could take care of comunity thing. This will make BPBible outstanding piece of bible study software! You can host a list of comunities, but the actual code can be hosted by communities themselves. They can be open or close comunities. I have some sort of sowtware wich can already do this. Do you want me to give you the link?

BPBible is already open source; adding this type of capability is possible, but I think it would require a lot of work. The development team is pretty small (~2 people, actually...)

In our comunity we dont need so much things you offer in BPBible, but we definitely need to simplificate some parts of the interface. Does you program has some kind of MVC(model/view/controller), to simply make a fork with different interface, but to be able to update for the future releases?
Actually, what we need is just one version, made by our group, along with original text(hebrew/greek) in one window. Basically, i have some more points about interface design, but i'm not sure if it is possible to ask some of you guys...
Actually, you heard our need, what do you suggest me to do, to make it work?

Currently BPBible only really supports one Bible at a time; this does make some things harder. The parallel view in the compare verses pane does allow this to a limited degree, but it doesn't work as well as the main Bible window.
#2Submitted by lukoie on Thu, 09/10/2009 - 14:22.

1 When, acording to your

1 When, acording to your plans, you're gonna move to XUL?
2 Issue/bug tracker is not what everyday user might want to see. They want to know who you are guys, and what are your plans for the program. Milestones, at least. Basically, i want to know what are your vissions for the program, and where do you think you will move in the future. So i can decide should i stay with the program and wait for the innovations in the next versions, or to move to something else, what has the user-friendly feedback features, like, at least, milestones.
3 Thats not good, as i think, that BP doesnt statds for anything. And is it me alone, who is asking this question? It is not covered nowhere on the site?
Maybe it is good idea to ask your users for the better name, which can be easy to remember?
4 If you add this capability, then you will need not python programmers, but general web-programmers! And you know theres much more web-programmers, then actual C/delphni/python. But the features you will get by this will be much-much better then anything in the bible-software today!
5 When do you plan to make parallel view? We need to see both original text and our own translation. If the original text will have underling word-to-word possibility - it would be perfect. Should i draw what i mean in thish wishlist?
#3Submitted by Jon Morgan on Fri, 09/11/2009 - 13:38.

Further feedback

1 When, acording to your plans, you're gonna move to XUL?

When it's ready :). It is a work in progress, and is likely to remain so for a while (volunteer time and all that).

2 Issue/bug tracker is not what everyday user might want to see. They want to know who you are guys, and what are your plans for the program. Milestones, at least. Basically, i want to know what are your vissions for the program, and where do you think you will move in the future. So i can decide should i stay with the program and wait for the innovations in the next versions, or to move to something else, what has the user-friendly feedback features, like, at least, milestones.

We aim to provide useful software, however we do not warrant it for any purpose. In later releases BPBible's goals and aims may be documented more clearly. At present, we have many plans but it seems premature to display these publicly when we have no fixed time for delivery (or even a close guess).

I don't think it is ever wise using software because of what it may be in the future. If it does not suit your needs now then it is probably better not to use it. I use it as my primary Bible software because it suits my needs best, and a number of people I know do as well, but I do not encourage people to use it unless they find it helpful.

3 Thats not good, as i think, that BP doesnt statds for anything. And is it me alone, who is asking this question? It is not covered nowhere on the site?
Maybe it is good idea to ask your users for the better name, which can be easy to remember?

BPBible is as good a name as any other, and is known more than any name we could pick now. It is also readily searchable, unique, and makes it clear that it is Bible software. It would need a very good suggestion that didn't conflict with anything else to make it useful to change.

4 If you add this capability, then you will need not python programmers, but general web-programmers! And you know theres much more web-programmers, then actual C/delphni/python. But the features you will get by this will be much-much better then anything in the bible-software today!

More and better are not necessarily synonymous. I am happy with the aims and goals of BPBible, and Python is a better platform for that than the Web. Support for more community related projects may be considered at a considerably later stage, but at present I see more value in developing good Bible software.

5 When do you plan to make parallel view? We need to see both original text and our own translation. If the original text will have underling word-to-word possibility - it would be perfect. Should i draw what i mean in thish wishlist?

You are welcome to make any suggestions you like. Just bear in mind that Bible translation, while a useful field, is not our primary usage, and so any suggestions will be evaluated on how they affect general users, not just Bible translators.

There is already a basic parallel view, but it doesn't work very well. I would expect that the next version of BPBible will have a much more useful parallel display.
#4Submitted by lukoie on Thu, 09/17/2009 - 19:47.

As i can see, Jon, you are

As i can see, Jon, you are based on your own view what Bible software should be like, and user feedback is not something you need.
Ok then, i think i should find othr software based on sword code, where programmers count users wishes and requests.

And yes, it is clever to use bible software because it COULD have features you need in the future.
There's so much bible software which is not worse then BPBible right now, which means i could use any and all of them, but there's no application which suits my needs and needs of our community.
And if i will not ask/suggest/request such features, programmers of that particular programm will not know what we need. And if they know, and agreed to implement such a feature - we will use the program untill they implement it stage by stage and piece by piece.

The name of the program should represent some distingushes or highlight the product among others. So, i understand what "Sword" is, or "Bible Quote" or "Bible Explorer", but i cant deal whith the meaningless "BP". It's also said "There are, perhaps, a great many kinds of languages in the world, and no kind is without meaning"!
#5Submitted by Jon Morgan on Fri, 09/18/2009 - 13:12.

Responses to user feedback

As i can see, Jon, you are based on your own view what Bible software should be like, and user feedback is not something you need.

Yes and no. Yes, we consider user feedback. I can't give you any numbers on what percentage of what is in BPBible that has come from user suggestions, but I can remember a reasonable number of things that I have implemented because people have asked for things. On the other hand, it is necessary to have a cohesive vision for the software for it to end up most useful, and that is something that core developers must have a responsibility to promote. We do not base our work solely on user requests. As I judge it, your request is completely different from what we are doing now, and is really a request for a different product. Time constraints make it likely that we will not develop new products. You are welcome to suggest your ideas, but user feedback does not bind us to implement something.

Ok then, i think i should find othr software based on sword code, where programmers count users wishes and requests.

You are welcome to find any other software you like and request features. I know a lot of the developers of other Sword products, and I suspect you will get a similar answer. The main ones that are actively developed are probably Xiphos, Bibletime, BibleDesktop, Alkitab and FireBible.

And yes, it is clever to use bible software because it COULD have features you need in the future.
There's so much bible software which is not worse then BPBible right now, which means i could use any and all of them, but there's no application which suits my needs and needs of our community.
And if i will not ask/suggest/request such features, programmers of that particular programm will not know what we need. And if they know, and agreed to implement such a feature - we will use the program untill they implement it stage by stage and piece by piece.

We are not talking about a feature. We are talking about a completely different type of software.

The name of the program should represent some distingushes or highlight the product among others. So, i understand what "Sword" is, or "Bible Quote" or "Bible Explorer", but i cant deal whith the meaningless "BP". It's also said "There are, perhaps, a great many kinds of languages in the world, and no kind is without meaning"!

If you want to have a meaning, here is its meaning: It is unique.
#6Submitted by Jon Morgan on Fri, 09/18/2009 - 13:25.

Community tools

Oh, by the way, making BPBible more community oriented and sharing content and so forth was suggested on the BPBible developers list at the end of the last year and I replied that I thought that it could be very important in the future, but there were other things that have priority. You get the same reply. It is not that it has not been considered or that it has been rejected outright, it is merely that with finite time available we must prioritise.