What Logos development is doing
For the curious... silence from the Logos developers doesn't mean they are on vacation. It means they are working hard to deliver the things you're waiting for! :-)
There are concerns that Logos has abandoned this or that platform or feature, or that all the energy is on one particular area to the detriment of others. This isn't true. We have a large team split over many projects; the top priority projects generally have more than one person working on them.
Yes, if we cut the number of projects we could get a few of them done sooner. (Though it's often the case that adding 50% more people won't improve productivity by the same amount -- there are diminishing returns as more cooks stir the same pot.) But we believe these are all important things to deliver.
We are actively working on:
- Logos 4 Windows
- Logos 4 Mac
- Logos iOS improvements
- Logos for Android
- Proclaim for Mac/Windows/Mobile (remotes)
- A dozen miscellaneous but (trust me) very important projects related to improving our internal systems, cleaning up metadata, building out our platform, preparing unannounced things, etc., etc.
At the moment, we consider the platform wars "tied" for all of these. Windows has more users than Mac, but Mac is behind and needs improvement, and it is gaining market share on the way to 50%. We consider it equally important to Windows, and already are at the point where some new work is Mac first, then ported to Windows.
iOS has more users, but Android is growing very fast, and we're treating them as equally important. They have equally sized dev teams, though Android is a bit behind, and we're planning all new work/features for both.
We're even preparing for more (alas!) back-end re-writing / re-architecting, to enable us to share more code between all FOUR platforms.
Other mobile OS's are not getting as much attention, though Biblia.com and some HTML5 solutions are still getting some work.
Within the Logos 4 (dual platform) world, we're still working on things like PBB. PBB has been in development for many months, and is absolutely not abandoned. It just hasn't been ready to test or deliver yet. It's getting close.
SermonFile is a harder problem, because we don't like the way we used to do it. People wanted to put too many too different documents into that system, so we're planning a completely different approach that's web oriented. (More http://books.logos.com with document uploading than 3.x SermonFile.) Part of SermonFile functionality will be taken over by a much better PBB tool, part by this new web solution, which is further out than Q2.
We have somewhere around 40 full-time developers. Two started Monday. Two more are hired and starting in coming weeks. We have 14 software development interns this summer; 1 is already here, 6 start Monday, and then they keep coming on through June. We've added a UI designer, have two UI design summer interns, and we've hired more testers.
We are still hiring, and are willing to take at least 6 more full-time developers as soon as we can find them. We conduct multiple development interviews nearly every day. (Using valuable staff time, unfortunately.) We've sent our dev hiring manager to Wheaton, Baylor, and Seattle Pacific University in the past few weeks; we attended a four university career fair in Spokane before that. We've had the computer science faculty of our local Western Washington University in for lunch, and invited all the seniors to come by for a tour. We co-sponsored a local technical recruiting night. (http://bellinghamtechnight.com/)
We're not slacking off, and we're not abandoning your favorite planned features. If we're abandoning anything, it's sleep. :-)
-- Bob
P.S. Know a great software developer? Send them our way!
Comments
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Bob, thanks for the word.......I look forward to the features. Can you let us have some info on hebrew pronunciation? That is old and still outstanding.
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Thanks for the update. I personally like the additional testers, PBB and the recognition that everything got shoved into "sermons" - it was great fun browzing through the oddities. [:D] I'm even impressed with the path you are taking for broadened resources - Talmud, BCP, etc. And just so you don't think someone else is using my account - I trust a review of notes is right behind the sermon add-in.[;)]
Orthodox Bishop Alfeyev: "To be a theologian means to have experience of a personal encounter with God through prayer and worship."; Orthodox proverb: "We know where the Church is, we do not know where it is not."
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Bob, thank you for the open and clear response. It allows the consumer the ability to make decisions much easier.
I am excited for Logos and what the future holds for the company in Bible Study offerings as I stated to Jerry earlier today when I spoke to him.
I love a lot of what I hear and some that concerns me for my needs from the software. With this great Customer Relations release it will help this user make a decision for his Bible Study needs.
I really hope that if Sermon File is drastically changed it is for the better, because it was outstanding the way it was, with the import and data entry functions available and without them could be lacking from where it started.
No matter as I told Jerry, if I were to choose a different path, I would still recommend Logos with the utmost grading for Mac Users. PC and Android TBD
Either way Logos has been an incredible tool and blessing for me since the LLS days.
Many Blessings to the Company
Logos 10 - OpenSuse Tumbleweed, Windows 11, Android 15 & Android 14
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Thank you so much Bob... I just got Nexflix on my Droid tonight and Logos would make it complete! It is the one app I have been waiting, waiting, and waiting for. I am tired of carrying an ipod touch around JUST for Logos.
Thanks again, and let me know if you need any beta testers. I have used Logos for 15 years and would be glad to beta test for android
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Bob Pritchett said:
People wanted to put too many too different documents into that system
hmmmm....sounds like the same issue that notes have. I still say that if you create a single (good) ui for us to store all of our information, it will be easier to maintain and easier for us to use.
There is no reason to have a unique subsystem for notes, clippings, sermon, and etc...
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Thanks Bob,
These little peaks inside the windows are great for Morale! And it never hurts that it titilates my own desire to know more. :-)
Oh this makes me giddy with expectation.Bob Pritchett said:... projects related to ...preparing unannounced things,
Sarcasm is my love language. Obviously I love you. 0 -
Thanks for the update, Bob. Looking forward to the Android app release.
Pastor, Cornerstone Baptist Church, Clinton, SC
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Man, I wish I had the programming chops. Helping make Logos better would be my dream job. I love writing code and I love Logos.
Anyway, very well put Bob. Thanks for the info.
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Bob Pritchett said:
For the curious... silence from the Logos developers doesn't mean they are on vacation. It means they are working hard to deliver the things you're waiting for! :-)
Hey Bob, any word yet on what Logos will be doing for the iOS apps now that Apple have changed their Ebooks pricing policy?
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Bob Pritchett said:
We're not slacking off, and we're not abandoning your favorite planned features.
Great communication, Bob. Thank you.
Dave
===Windows 11 & Android 13
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Dollars to donuts Bob was getting numerous email just because there hadn't been an update downloading to L4/M stable release in at least a week [;)]
Thanks Bob to you and your team of great workers. Makes our job of getting the Word out that much more fruitful.
The mind of man is the mill of God, not to grind chaff, but wheat. Thomas Manton | Study hard, for the well is deep, and our brains are shallow. Richard Baxter
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Bob,
I wonder if being able to share things like Note Files is in development or are we still talking the undefined future? I know that is something a lot of us would like.
The ability to do local backup and restore has also been asked for a number of times. I've been bitten a couple of times losing my collections, although I was able to recover by modifying the same collections on a second installation one at a time. That triggered a re-synch but was time consuming and if I didn't have the second installation I would have been out of luck.
Thanks for the report.
Pastor, North Park Baptist Church
Bridgeport, CT USA
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Thanks for the update, PBB is my biggest wish.
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Thank you so much, Bob. This update is much appreciated.
Jacob Hantla
Pastor/Elder, Grace Bible Church
gbcaz.org0 -
Thanks Bob!
This is really helpful and encouraging.
Help links: WIKI; Logos 6 FAQ. (Phil. 2:14, NIV)
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Thanks for priority update with Logos market share information, added " What Logos development is doing (includes platform priority insights) (Bob Pritchett, CEO) " to Logos Speaks wiki page.
Bob Pritchett said:We're not slacking off, and we're not abandoning your favorite planned features. If we're abandoning anything, it's sleep. :-)
Praying for appropriate rest (too little sleep = too many avoidable mistakes) along with anticipating future Logos Bible Study improvements.
Keep Smiling [:)]
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Thanks so much for the update.
Blessings
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Mark A. Smith said:
I've been bitten a couple of times losing my collections, although I was able to recover by modifying the same collections on a second installation one at a time.
Time Machine, part of the Mac OS, makes this easier. [:D] Sorry, couldn't help myself. Fingers started typing even while my mind was screaming, "Don't do that!" [8-|]
To keep this post on topic: Thank you, Bob, for the update. The comment about Mac Market Share was particularly informative.
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Thank you, Bob!
Lenovo P72: Intel 8th Gen i7-8750H 6-core, 32GB RAM, 2TB HDD + 1TB Sata SSD, 17.3" FHD 1920x1080, NVIDIA Quadro P600 4GB, Win 10 Pro
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Thank you very much Bob! That's good to hear...
We appreciate all the activity...we really do!
Robert Pavich
For help go to the Wiki: http://wiki.logos.com/Table_of_Contents__
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Greg Masone said:
Hey Bob, any word yet on what Logos will be doing for the iOS apps now that Apple have changed their Ebooks pricing policy?
We'll be recommending Android devices. :-)
Obviously we'll have to comply with Apple's guidelines...and we're still waiting to see how all this shakes out. (Will the Kindle app remain on the iPhone?)
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Mark A. Smith said:
being able to share things like Note Files is in development
Yes, document sharing is a super-high priority for us, and is actively being developed.
Mark A. Smith said:The ability to do local backup and restore has also been asked for a number of times.
I don't want to rehash the conversations (they're still online in old forum posts), but I can say that while this isn't off the table, it's also not being worked on right now.
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Thanks Bob!
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Bob Pritchett said:Greg Masone said:
Hey Bob, any word yet on what Logos will be doing for the iOS apps now that Apple have changed their Ebooks pricing policy?
We'll be recommending Android devices. :-)
Obviously we'll have to comply with Apple's guidelines...and we're still waiting to see how all this shakes out. (Will the Kindle app remain on the iPhone?)
If the iOS app is free and the resources are freely provided because they have already been paid for in our Logos 4 (home computer) license, why would there be any new charges? I will never use iOS if I have to pay $.99 per book to access my Logos library.
Any chance there will be a PDF dock in Logos? (You know QuickVerse has it but maybe that was their un-doing.) In that survey you took a long while back, I rated PDF access as a high priority because there are some documents that will never make it into Logos. added: I am referring to more than just adding a link. I am visualizing a directory of a PDF folder with all documents clickable; a PDF sub-section of my library. All from within Logos. [:P]
Oh, Thank you for starting this positive & informative thread. [Y]
Logos 7 Collectors Edition
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Bob Pritchett said:Mark A. Smith said:
being able to share things like Note Files is in development
Yes, document sharing is a super-high priority for us, and is actively being developed.
Mark A. Smith said:The ability to do local backup and restore has also been asked for a number of times.
I don't want to rehash the conversations (they're still online in old forum posts), but I can say that while this isn't off the table, it's also not being worked on right now.
Thank you, Bob.
Pastor, North Park Baptist Church
Bridgeport, CT USA
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Matthew C Jones said:Bob Pritchett said:Greg Masone said:
Hey Bob, any word yet on what Logos will be doing for the iOS apps now that Apple have changed their Ebooks pricing policy?
We'll be recommending Android devices. :-)
Obviously we'll have to comply with Apple's guidelines...and we're still waiting to see how all this shakes out. (Will the Kindle app remain on the iPhone?)
If the iOS app is free and the resources are freely provided because they have already been paid for in our Logos 4 (home computer) license, why would there be any new charges? I will never use iOS if I have to pay $.99 per book to access my Logos library.
Apologies: crystal ball cloudy; not know about future of non-Apple and non-Google e-book apps (on iOS and Android) after July 1. If Apple evicts non-Apple e-book apps from their App Store (e.g. Kindle, Kobo, Nook, ...), would leave Apple with the only e-book app that can be used offline on iOS devices, which may be good for Apple's e-book store profits, but bad news for Apple's consumers (plus potential anti-trust implications). If Apple profit increases by being the primary (only) e-book agent on iOS devices, anticipate Google doing the same thing on Android (possibly including remote deletion of non-Google e-book apps, like Google has already done to malware Android apps). From a business profit perspective, can understand $ desire by Apple and Google to be the only e-book agents on their respective platforms while allowing access to other e-book purchases via web sites.
Personally hoping and praying for Logos Bible Software apps on iOS and Android devices, with feature improvement beyond e-book readers.
Likewise looking forward to Logos 4 improvements on Mac & PC.
Keep Smiling [:)]
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Bob Pritchett said:
For the curious... silence from the Logos developers doesn't mean they are on vacation. It means they are working hard to deliver the things you're waiting for! :-)
...We are still hiring, and are willing to take at least 6 more full-time developers as soon as we can find them. We conduct multiple development interviews nearly every day....P.S. Know a great software developer? Send them our way!
Bob,
Thank you for the status update/peek behind the corporate curtain!
As I flew into SEATAC yesterday with my family for a short between-careers vacation to the Aberdeen area, I realized I forgot to arrange the calendar to visit Logos [:(] I suggested to my wife that I should interview with Logos...it would be a dream job...although I've not coded anything substantial since the mid 80's--I'm in the executive IT management level these days. Humm...if you need to hire a forum troll, I guess I'm well qualified at that! [;)]
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If Apple evicts non-Apple e-book apps from their App Store (e.g. Kindle, Kobo, Nook, ...), would leave Apple with the only e-book app that can be used offline on iOS devices, (...) anticipate Google doing the same thing on Android (possibly including remote deletion of non-Google e-book apps,
Personally hoping and praying for Logos Bible Software apps on iOS and Android devices, with feature improvement beyond e-book readers. <<amen>>
Do Kindle and Nook allow Apple and Google e-books on their devices? maybe Apple and Google are saying you don't let us play in your pool so you can't play in ours. [and Logos and others are getting burnt in the middle] [Add Kobo to my list (never heard of it) ] [ignore that the others are readers only and Apple and Google are full powered computers]
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David Ames said:
If Apple evicts non-Apple e-book apps from their App Store (e.g. Kindle, Kobo, Nook, ...), would leave Apple with the only e-book app that can be used offline on iOS devices, (...) anticipate Google doing the same thing on Android (possibly including remote deletion of non-Google e-book apps,
Personally hoping and praying for Logos Bible Software apps on iOS and Android devices, with feature improvement beyond e-book readers. <<amen>>
Do Kindle and Nook allow Apple and Google e-books on their devices? maybe Apple and Google are saying you don't let us play in your pool so you can't play in ours. [and Logos and others are getting burnt in the middle] [Add Kobo to my list (never heard of it) ] [ignore that the others are readers only and Apple and Google are full powered computers]
Digital Reader, Kindle, Kobo, and Nook do not natively allow other e-books apps on their devices, yet some allow web sites: e.g. http://biblia.com
For business $ profit, Amazon (Kindle), Barnes & Noble (Nook), Borders (Kobo), and Sony (Digital Reader) have same primary e-book agent motive for their respective devices as Apple (iOS) and Google (Android). Wonder about Microsoft's e-book agent plans for Windows Phone 7.
Hindsight 20/20: appears Apple waited for competitive e-book devices to flourish worldwide before changing app guidelines (avoids some anti-trust issues).
Still hoping and praying for Logos Bible software apps on iOS and Android devices.
Keep Smiling [:)]
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