Why do Verbumites pay the same as Logosians for a lesser product

In general, reading plans, work flows, and similar smaller features are geared for the Logos side of the house. No problem if and only if Verbum slowly adds such features at a consistent rate. But for several years running, listing items for Verbum gets positive feedback and no visible progress
I have no problem with there being differences between Logos and Verbum - Logos gets IgniterMedia and SermonAudio while Verbum gets Catholic Topic Index and predefined collections. I think the distinctions are appropriate. But I don't think it is appropriate that the content of a Guide is changed when I open a Logos Passage Guide in Verbum ... acknowledged as a bug many years ago but never changed.
I do have a problem with differences that are not based on differences in need - why no help cards in Verbum? why no links to the Faithlife Logos groups? Verbum gets no equivalent but we pay for its development. I know unfair product treatment when I see it.

What was the final straw? . I noticed there is a "Discuss this feature" choice in the "ke-bob" menu for many panels, and I decided to use it the other day for a question I had, and got a quick response, and a notification of the response thru the Faithlife app on my phone, which I thought was nice. ... a feature denied Verbum for no discernable reason except discriminatory marketing. There is no justification for a "separate development" to hold water as the code between Logos and Verbum should have very limited differences on a common base.

If you consider my total investment in Faithlife starting with the first Catholic package (L2?], I think I've paid more than my fair share for features I don't have.

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scooter

I use Logos, but I see the need for Verbum's customer base to be treated fairly, with the same features.

David Ames

In general, reading plans, work flows, and similar smaller features are geared for the Logos side of the house. No problem if and only if Verbum slowly adds such features at a consistent rate. But for several years running, listing items for Verbum gets positive feedback and no visible progress

Question: Do these " features" get turned on and off by "set Verbum to yes" and "set Verbum to no"?

[[That used to be the way one switched between the two]]

Barnabas

I'm just here to agree. I use vanilla logos.

SineNomine

[[That used to be the way one switched between the two]]

Correction: that is and long has been how one changes a Logos installation into a near mimic of a Verbum installation... one that has Help cards, unless something's changed recently.

Greg Rose

MJ, thanks for focusing on the disparate treatment between the Logos product and the Verbum product. I've been a user since the days of "Libronix". I took the Verbum route when it became available and I too have invested significant money in the Logos/Verbum product. I certainly want to echo MJs frustration with regards to the issues she has raised.

David Ames

[[That used to be the way one switched between the two]]

Correction: that is and long has been how one changes a Logos installation into a near mimic of a Verbum installation... one that has Help cards, unless something's changed recently.

Re: Near mimic: What are the differences between a "pure Verbum" Installation and a Logos installation with "Verbum set to Yes"]]

[[Next post: What are the differences between a "pure Logos" Installation and a Verbum installation with "Verbum set to No"?]]

[[Post after that one: Does "Verbum set to" change any thing from the "pure" Installation to any thing less when one changes it back to what ever the "pure" Installation was when it was a "pure" Installation?]]

[[What I really meant to ask was] We have two PCs. My wife never uses Logos nor Verbum. I have installed Logos on mine and Verbum on hers [both for my use only] Have I upset anything by using the "Verbum set to" command that does not get un-upset when I go back to the other state?

Mark

Why do we need 2 separate products? I genuinely do not understand.

scooter

Why do we need 2 separate products? I genuinely do not understand.

Who are you asking this question of??

DMB

Why do we need 2 separate products? I genuinely do not understand.

Ok, Verbum, it is. It'll be good for Logosians to figure out why there's so many Esdras.

More seriously, Verbum should be leading the way on how to do religion with software. Logos is hopelessly a stack and rack proposition (list, search, tag, and tree it).

Mark

Why do we need 2 separate products? I genuinely do not understand.

Who are you asking this question of??

It was a genuine question meant to add to this thread, not hack it. It was meant I suppose for FL or for anyone who can give insight. I wonder if the need for two separate products is still necessary.

MJ has a legitimate question. And I hope it gets addressed by FL.

JT (alabama24)

Why do we need 2 separate products? I genuinely do not understand.

There are some significant differences in the ways that some users approach Bible and Historical studies. Logos was originally created for a "broadly evangelical" (protestant) community. For example, they expect 66 books in the canon and do not want mariological resources. I am sure that there are many Catholics who would prefer not to have devotionals by Luther and Calvin pop up. The same is true with the "on this day in history" feature.

A Venn diagram would show much overlap between the two, but where they DON'T overlap, there can be significant controversy. There would also be a third circle in that Venn diagram of those who are one side or the other but DO want the material from the other side as well.

Ken McGuire

I am sure that there are many Catholics who would prefer not to have devotionals by Luther and Calvin pop up.

As a Lutheran, I have certainly run into a few Roman Catholics who react strongly against anything with the names of Luther or Calvin. But I have run into many Roman Catholics who actually quite value Luther's Devotional writings, and have told us Lutherans how they are rooted in Medieval monasticism. They may disagree with him on some points - especially in his Polemical writings, but all in all, I think Roman Catholics appreciate and respect Luther's devotional writings FAR more than the typical American Evangelical Protestant respects, for example, Thomas Aquinas' devotional writings - even when Luther is gently critiquing some Roman Catholic practices, eg. Luther's work on the Magnificat.

None of this is to say that they would typically have Luther as a first choice - or that there is no difference between Luther's thought and Roman Catholicism. But one of the flowers of Vatican 2 has been an recognition that even if they say Luther was a off-pitch, and even if you say that he made inappropriate choices over the whole of Catholicism, his thought is still anchored in Catholicism.

None of this is to say that you were wrong when you said "There are some significant differences in the ways that some users approach Bible and Historical Studies." You are indeed right on that. It just gets more complicated, and you could have picked a better example. And what I read MJ as saying in her original post is that Logos/Verbum development lately seems to have been dominated by features that would be more useful for the typical American Evangelical user, and that that Verbum development has lagged behind this, with too many features only half-way implemented.

Mark

There are some significant differences

I understand all that, and I am sure that was the original idea behind a second product. But now? We have various packages...reformed packages, baptist packages, Orthodox packages, academic packages. Why can't Verbum be another denominational package? I buy Verbum products and it incorporates into Logos. If you buy Logos products, it incorporates into Verbum. I have a birthday and get a Verbum birthday credit. Usually I get a Logos credit. To me, it is confusing...just like introducing Noet (now obsolete) was confusing. And it causes the problem MJ brings up. The fact is, I would like to have the Catholic topic index...and lo and behold...in Logos, I have it! Why do Verbum customers not have links to FL Logos groups?

Mike Binks

There would also be a third circle in that Venn diagram of those who are one side or the other but DO want the material from the other side as well.

Mark me down as a 'Third Circleist'!

I use Logos but resent the fact that I would need to download a whole new library to get the facilities that others have should I find a need for them.

We can prioritise our bible translation why can't we prioritise our canon?

Why can't we, at least in our software, turn saints and/or martyrs on and off as required?

(Who knows if one can actually turn saints and/or martyrs off?)

Unifying Verbum and Logos should be an aspiration not least because it encourages unity. I seem to remember that somebody else thought unity a good idea.

JT (alabama24)

There would also be a third circle in that Venn diagram of those who are one side or the other but DO want the material from the other side as well.

Mark me down as a 'Third Circleist'!

I use Logos but resent the fact that I would need to download a whole new library to get the facilities that others have should I find a need for them.

We can prioritise our bible translation why can't we prioritise our canon?

Why can't we, at least in our software, turn saints and/or martyrs on and off as required?

(Who knows if one can actually turn saints and/or martyrs off?)

Unifying Verbum and Logos should be an aspiration not least because it encourages unity. I seem to remember that somebody else thought unity a good idea.

I agree with all of this, but there are significant numbers of users who would not.

JT (alabama24)

There are some significant differences

I understand all that, and I am sure that was the original idea behind a second product. But now? We have various packages...reformed packages, baptist packages, Orthodox packages, academic packages. Why can't Verbum be another denominational package? I buy Verbum products and it incorporates into Logos. If you buy Logos products, it incorporates into Verbum. I have a birthday and get a Verbum birthday credit. Usually I get a Logos credit. To me, it is confusing...just like introducing Noet (now obsolete) was confusing. And it causes the problem MJ brings up. The fact is, I would like to have the Catholic topic index...and lo and behold...in Logos, I have it! Why do Verbum customers not have links to FL Logos groups?

The libraries are one thing... the software functionality is quite another. I think Mike‘s suggestion is good... You could keep the two diverse apps which would have different default settings, but have the ability to turn on the other. I < think > that would make most happy.

SineNomine

There are some significant differences
I understand all that, and I am sure that was the original idea behind a second product. But now? We have various packages...reformed packages, baptist packages, Orthodox packages, academic packages. Why can't Verbum be another denominational package?

I will give you an answer that will be simple and true but likely unsatisfying to you. It will, at least, have the advantage of abstracting away from Verbum's special features, present or future.

Verbum is targeted at Catholics.
Most Catholics who might buy Verbum would never buy non-Catholic Bible/theology study software/resources. Almost no Catholics in a position to recommend Verbum to other Catholics--parish priests, diocesan bishops, theology professors, etc.--would ever publicly or widely endorse non-Catholic Bible/theology study software/resources, even if they themselves were personally using them. In addition, most relevant Catholic organizations, including publishers and post-secondary institutions, are unlikely to support/work with non-Catholic Bible/theology study software/resource providers.
If Verbum were to be replaced by (e.g.) "Logos 10 Catholic" packages, products, and marketing, for all relevant intents and purposes, from a Catholic perspective, this would be non-Catholic Bible/theology study software/resource, because Faithlife the company and Logos the brand are non-Catholic.

Tl;dr: Merging Verbum into Logos would lose Faithlife most of its present and potential future Catholic customers, product endorsers, and partner organizations.

Why my preceding answer is true is much more complicated and difficult to properly understand from a non-Catholic perspective than is that answer, and the anecdotal counter-examples to 2. that I'm sure could be provided would be, as they say,' exceptions that prove the rule'.

SineNomine

I am sure that there are many Catholics who would prefer not to have devotionals by Luther and Calvin pop up.

As a Lutheran, I have certainly run into a few Roman Catholics who react strongly against anything with the names of Luther or Calvin. But[....]

Relevant resource from Faithlife here: Martin Luther: Catholic Critical Analysis and Praise

Here is an excerpt from the (Catholic) author's introduction:

Lastly, the reader may wonder (in all fairness) about my own personal opinion (as a committed orthodox Catholic, and Catholic apologist) of Martin Luther. I’m happy to comply with such a desire. I disagree with the man’s theology (that is, where he departs from Catholic orthodoxy) and some of the ways in which he went about things. But I do not regard Luther (like many Catholic biographers and critics throughout history) as an essentially “evil” or “bad” man. I don’t deny his good intentions and sincerity at all (though I often question his wisdom and foresight, as will be evident).
I actually admire Martin Luther in many ways. I love his passion and boldness and bravery in standing up for what he believed. I always admire people who do that, unless the stand they take is unquestionably evil. One can respect such a person without necessarily agreeing with the specific cause or belief that he or she espouses. One can be wrong for the right reasons, and right for the wrong reasons.
I’ve written extensively about Martin Luther, and maintain perhaps the largest web page on the Internet devoted to Luther and Lutheranism, from a Catholic perspective. It may surprise some to learn that among these many papers (written over the past seventeen years) are about twenty, as of writing [2008], where I defend Luther against myths and bum raps, cite him in agreement, or take a fairly neutral stance towards his opinion.
In one fictional, Plato-inspired dialogue I even portrayed Martin Luther quite positively (and downright affectionately), as a sort of (saved) “wise old man”. I’ve even—on occasion—received unsolicited letters of commendation from Lutheran pastors for such efforts.

If that sounds interesting to you, the book is not expensive. If not, carry on!

Matt Hamrick

I was told by Faithlife the Logos and Verbum engine is the same so I assumed all the content was the same. I have long believed Faithlife should have the Faithlife bible software for everyone with one engine to run it all and everyone has the same features and content but depending on what base packages you have fuel the software.

Karoly Haasz

I came into this whole area via a sale offer on the old Libronix library. It was something I had to buy for myself and I could not have easily afforded the full price, even then.

I had no difficulty with moving over to Logos when it came out. I was very happy with it, but was heavily pushed to use this "new product" - Verbum, which I got for free. Again, I would have struggled to buy it at full price and could hardly justify a second program alongside Logos.

Apart from the layout and the fact that it seemed more sophisticated than my then version of Logos, Verbum shared the same resources and when I bought any resource it got downloaded to both programmes. Initially, I had used Logos as a slightly upgraded version of the old Libronix system and found that some upgrades actually reduced or removed functionality I was used to. My first experience of Verbum was quite different as it included the multimedia resources, such as pictures and films and my first encounter with the video courses one can buy.

In every other respect, they seemed to be the same. I noticed no real difference. Then, three to five years ago, I realised that Verbum was heavily promoting Catholic material. I do not remember doing anything to trigger this change such as buying anything explicitly and exclusively Catholic, nor did I identify as a Catholic in any online survey or form.

To be clear, I am from a British ecumenical (Protestant) background, growing up in an Anglican/Methodist congregation - yep, one congregation reflecting two traditions and am currently part of a formally Baptist congregation which is actually quite ecumenical in composition. I see myself as broadly protestant - note the small "p" - with wide interests, e.g.; in Anabaptism at one end to Orthodoxy at the other. In terms of the language of this discussion I would be both "third circle" and broadly "academic", since my career has balanced the twin poles of local church preaching and evangelism and broader teaching/lecturing/mentoring and I have used the software primarily for the latter.

So I might read from any tradition, but I would probably not be as invested in very particularly Catholic texts as a committed Catholic would - but then I am not as interested in some very "Protestant" material as a committed Lutheran or Reformed (Calvinist) might be, either.

It is helpful to realise that Verbum is supposed to be Catholic. I had assumed I had done something to the program which changed the original settings. Indeed, that is why I came to this page, to try to understand what Verbum is doing.

I ran both Logos and Verbum, initially, because they had quite different features. I now see very little functional difference at all and none as far as my downloaded resources. (I resist the onscreen boxes that promote new books and other material as a matter of course. I want to choose what I buy according to my own needs, not because a sample in a pretty box pops up in front of me).

I may get rid of Verbum, simply because it seems utterly unnecessary and even stupid, for me, to have the same resources duplicated - esp. since everything I purchase now goes to both. It might be different if I was being offered different resources for each program.

As it is, I have recently retired and cannot afford the big packages or even many of the single resources. I now only regularly "buy" the monthly free books, but will splash out occasionally. (Even when working, I did not have the kind of expenses that would have permitted me to buy any of the current packages.) In addition, Covid Lockdown has meant that I have had to give up the little remaining unpaid Bible Study teaching I used to do. I keep the software and resources because I still feel I can learn and because I continue to mentor others in their academic journeys.

I had not realised the problems people were encountering with Verbum and certainly think that it is very unfair to have a different and lesser product and still be paying as much for it. I am sad about the apparent need to have two software packages, simply because some evangelical protestants might be uncomfortable that Catholics might use "their" software.

(The fact that a particular user may want a set of resources that reflects their own tradition is quite different and needn't be a problem for anyone, just as long as we accept that other users will want to do the same in respect of their own tradition. Obviously, a lot of historical material will be common to all, especially if you go back far enough. It is sad, though, if indwelling one's own tradition means rigorously avoiding any contact with any other. At an academic level there is some degree of openness to insights from across the traditions - although this is only to a degree. At grassroots, too, churches do work together, but somewhere between those two extremes we seem to have lost the plot.)

I hope Faithlife will take serious notice and give enhanced full functionality to Verbum users and perhaps, more control and choice to all users, so that we can become more aware of the breadth and depth of our (ultimately) shared heritage.