I'd suspect most Bible software folks are single-platform-ers. Learning issues. Resources glued to the platform. And life isn't software.
But from my first Bible software, I always wondered about the developers. It's highly fragmented (I guess from the above). And the guys (all?) seem driven.
Olivetree sold to a publisher. Spokane Wa. I wondered if they'd go commercial ... so far so good. Laridian did a major re-write last year, and is still expanding their library and low cost. Accordance seems to be trying to cut into the library core of Logos; a nice selection. Down in Florida. I don't know anything about WordSearch. Our pastor likes it.
BW is a bit distressing. I didn't own it until their door-closing sale. I hope they didn't sell below cost. I'd feel guilty. Arrives today.
Distressing because of WHY they closed ... a declining market. That's really not good. With the press's salivating at 'the' issue at Ft Worth, thense Dallas, there were a number of Christianity stats and polls. Not good. The one most bothersome is the religious delta between older vs younger generations per country. The US is one of the highest. That's a ticking clock problem.
On BW's forum, there was a good note from one of BW's developers, that speaks to the future. If you're comfortable with multiple platforms, it might interest you:
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Let me reiterate that it is my intention to keep BW10 running for as long as I am alive (I am in good health). And even after that the likelihood of the program breaking on Windows is small. The program is at the top of its game right now. If you are happy with it just stick with it until it is no longer serving your needs. Don't rush out and spend money on a new platform until you really need to. I intend to continue using the program and there is nothing else out there that I find tempting.
On the issue of making the source code available, BibleWorks chose early on to integrate resources very tightly with the program. Just removing access to licensed material is non-trivial. And that would have to be done before releasing code to anyone. I also don't want to burn too many bridges. A public domain version some time in the future is not at all out of the question. The main thing holding that back is a few critical licensed databases that would have to be replaced (like the Hebrew morphology) and the fact that so many features are tied to NA28. We would have to work something out with the German Bible Society and I have no idea whether they would be willing to do that. In general what we want to do right now is (1) support people who own a current license to BW10 and (2) leave as many doors open as possible for future work. What I want to avoid is producing a public domain version only to have other companies market Bible versions to plug into it. We have fought tooth and nail for 25 years against the practice of turning Scripture into a commodity. It has always felt like a losing battle.
Mike