Why is Logos so ridiculously complicated?

I'm coming over to Logos after having used Wordsearch for 20 years. I find NOTHING intuitive about Logos. And when I look for tutorial videos I find a collection that adds up to well over 90 minutes of watching just to learn how to use the software. I've started to watch so of them and they take so long to get to the point it frustrating.

Is there one 5-minute or less video (not a 10 minute video - they take forever to get to the point) that will show me how to set up the program so that when I open it my preferred screens (bibles, commentaries, word studies) are already open and ready to go. How can I get my commentaries to list as just the commentary set and not each individual book in my entire library? If I have my bible open to Mark 8.31 I just want to click on the entire set of i.e. Life Application Commentary and have it open to Mark 8.31. I don't want to have to scroll through half my library just to find it. And here's a thought, how can I get my commentaries to list in alphabetical order? Or better yet, why don't they just automatically list in alphabetical order in the first place?

This software is maddening!!!!!!!!!

Find more posts tagged with

Desktop App

Comments

Justin Gatlin

Hi Alan, thankfully everything you want to do is easy.

First, click the Logos icon at the top left of the screen to open up the go box and type in the passage you want to study (such as Mark 8:31).Then click "Open Passage Study Layout" in the dropdown.

Logos will open up your top ranked commentary, your top 3 translations, the passage guide, the Factbook, and the info pane. If you scroll through one of the resources, the other ones will follow, and if you click on a word, you will get the word study information in the info pane.

If you want to add different commentaries or other resources, just drag them onto the screen, and get things how you want them. You can keep them in sync with each other by clicking the 3 dots on the top right and picking a link set.

When everything is how you want it, click the layout button on the bottom left and save this layout as Passage Study. It will overwrite the template and whenever you type a Scripture in the go box and select passage study, it will give you what you have set up.

) are already open and ready to go. How can I get my commentaries to list as just the commentary set and not each individual book in my entire library? If I have my bible open to Mark 8.31 I just want to click on the entire set of i.e. Life Application Commentary and have it open to Mark 8.31.

You're overthinking this. If you have the LAC for Matthew open and type Mark 8:31 in, it will automatically take you to the correct volume in the series.

You can sort your library by clicking on what you want to sort by in the library. By default, it sorts to last used or something, but if you click "title" you can get it alphabetical. If you click "series" the series will be grouped together, etc.

GaoLu

That's true Justin, and you did a great job explaining, as you always do.

And also, I think Logos could make a very simple default layout that does what Alan asks for. I would use it for a lot of my basic studies. I am quite sure most others would as well. We have been asking for that for years. decades. Don't make "ridiculously complicated" the default.

Justin Gatlin

I agree. I think that letting us share layouts would be a huge benefit, so that we could create some "user's choice" layouts and share them with tutorials. As faculty at a seminary that uses Logos, it would also really help me give my classes a starting point.

Yasmin Stephen

Maybe the QuickStart Layouts can be helpful as well.

Rick Kelley

I am searching for a replacement. I have given up on this complicated mess. I watched the videos and could barely make it functional for me. This mess cost me a fortune some years ago. Huge library too. I just cant bulid a study with it. I miss Parsons Quickverse. Has anyone found a usefull, intuitive alternative?

Donovan R. Palmer

I am searching for a replacement. I have given up on this complicated mess. I watched the videos and could barely make it functional for me. This mess cost me a fortune some years ago. Huge library too. I just cant bulid a study with it. I miss Parsons Quickverse. Has anyone found a usefull, intuitive alternative?

I used to use QuickVerse years ago. Sadly, it is gone, along with a good hand full of others, so we just don't have many left.

I think software is very much about how your head is wired and each of us is different. My experience with Logos is very positive, but that's just me. You might consider OliveTree to see if it clicks with you. I have never used it before, but I have heard some good things about it.

Justin Gatlin

I am searching for a replacement. I have given up on this complicated mess. I watched the videos and could barely make it functional for me. This mess cost me a fortune some years ago. Huge library too. I just cant bulid a study with it. I miss Parsons Quickverse. Has anyone found a usefull, intuitive alternative?

Hi Rick, the Logos forums have a rule against promoting competitors, so no one is really going to be able to answer your question here. But the forum community is really great, and I would hate to see your investment go to waste. If the advice I gave up top is not helpful for what you are trying to do, can you start a thread with a specific question? If you want to email me, maybe we could set up a Zoom call where you could share your screen and I could walk you through setting up what you want to do. The school I teach for requires Logos, so I have gotten pretty proficient at it. My email is my first name @alvinmbc.com (my name is Justin I am just not writing it out to avoid spambots).

MJ. Smith

Have you tried it on the web? Home - Logos Bible Study This is a much simpler version of Logos that still has all your resources.

Donovan R. Palmer

I agree. I think that letting us share layouts would be a huge benefit, so that we could create some "user's choice" layouts and share them with tutorials. As faculty at a seminary that uses Logos, it would also really help me give my classes a starting point.

I have always thought sharing layouts and workflows between resources would be a good thing for us Logos users to learn from each other.

Bill Cook

Alan:

Sorry for the trouble you are having. I started way way back on Quickverse. I liked it. But, I got Logos after QV went away and soon learned its ways. It has had ups and downs for me as it evolved. Version 4 was a big swallow. But, now I like the current iteration. I cannot get around at all in Accordance. It makes no sense to me. Logos does.

There have been some great suggestions on how to get more familiar with it. Hang in there. I hope you will one day come to like it.

Kevin A. Purcell

This is a little old, but I did a blog post about how to make Logos behave like WS when Logos bought WS.

https://www.kevinpurcell.org/x-ways-to-make-logos-work-like-wordsearch/

xnman

This is a little old, but I did a blog post about how to make Logos behave like WS when Logos bought WS.

https://www.kevinpurcell.org/x-ways-to-make-logos-work-like-wordsearch/

Excellent post! I didn't see it before now... so I worked through everything the "hard way".

I am of the opinion now that Logos is better than WordSearch as it is more powerful and after the "learning curve" a person is able to do things that WordSearch couldn't do. But the "learning curve" was like going uphill both ways. lol. [8-|]

Kevin A. Purcell

This is a little old, but I did a blog post about how to make Logos behave like WS when Logos bought WS.

https://www.kevinpurcell.org/x-ways-to-make-logos-work-like-wordsearch/

Excellent post! I didn't see it before now

Thanks a bunch!