More about EGW Lifeworks in Logos 6 (important details for existing owners of EGW writings)
I’m excited that Ellen White’s Lifeworks will now be in Logos SDA Bronze & Silver! Further details:
- Anyone who already owns the old EGW library (having purchased it in the now-retired “expanded edition” of the SDA Commentary) will receive the updated EGW files—free. That’s the good news.
- The bad news is that it will take weeks, perhaps months, to recompile all 402 documents into the latest Logos technology. When that’s done, the updated files will download automatically to their Logos libraries.
- At that time those who purchase upgrades to Logos 6 Bronze and Silver will also receive automatic downloads of the updated EGW files. Meanwhile, they immediately receive the existing EGW files if they buy an upgrade to Logos 6 Bronze & Silver—so they won’t have to wait to have EGW in their Logos library.
- Ellen G. White Lifeworks is also available as a separate pre-pub purchase on www.logos.com -- but those who buy EGW Lifeworks separately will have to wait until the updated collection goes live (as wtih any other pre-pub). This provides incentive for buying SDA Bronze or Silver so as to get the existing files now and the update when it's completed.
- Imagine what a difference it will make when the newly recompiled EGW files arrive in the latest Logos technology—completely searchable and interlinked with the rest of our Logos 6 library.
Comments
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Martin Weber said:
- The bad news is that it will take weeks, perhaps months, to recompile all 402 documents into the latest Logos technology. When that’s done, the updated files will download automatically to their Logos libraries.
I know it's slim to none, but any chance it could be released in blocks (like work on the her main books first and release those, then go after the rest). Or 50/100 at a time?
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That's a terrific suggestion in principle. In practice, I don't think it could work that way because of the step-by-step process these collections march through. If your idea can be implemented, I'll let you know, David.
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Martin Weber said:
those who buy EGW Lifeworks separately will have to wait until the updated collection goes live (as wtih any other pre-pub).
Excellent idea. Well done.
Martin Weber said:Meanwhile, they immediately receive the existing EGW files if they buy an upgrade to Logos 6 Bronze & Silver—so they won’t have to wait to have EGW in their Logos library.
Sad but that is life.
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We are trying to do what's best for our customers here, as always, and I'm thankful that those who go with Bronze and Silver upgrades will be able to get EGW Lifeworks in a base package (which hadn't seemed likely); those who already have EGW will get dynamic pricing credit. And everybody will get the recompiled files as soon as they get done--a huge task for 402 books and other documents. Bottom line: we are trying to get this done as quickly as possible at the best possible price (or no cost at all). Thanks for your patience during this process--it will be worth the wait, I'm sure.
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Here is a link to the set. https://www.logos.com/product/46564/ellen-g-white-lifeworks-collection
Mission: To serve God as He desires.
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Martin Weber said:
--a huge task for 402 books and other documents. Bottom line: we are trying to get this done as quickly as possible at the best possible price (or no cost at all). Thanks for your patience during this process--it will be worth the wait, I'm sure.
Matin,
Is there any way for those of us who are tech savvy to help speed up this process or help with processing/formatting SDA logos resources in general?
I know I would be interested in helping with converting SDA resources to Logos format for all to benefit from. Is it as simple as it is for creating personal books? I have some experience with that, and I've noticed there are others on the SDA forums who do too. Let me know what you think. It would be nice to get some teamwork going and be able to crank out SDA resources much faster! You know what they say: many hands make light work!
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Like your idea Timothy. Sda's unite.
Mission: To serve God as He desires.
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We all want to speed up the process, but it's quite a journey from wanting a product in Logos to getting it live.
1) First it must be licensed, which is no easy thing with any official denominational product--the church is trying to accelerate its own digital production and many administrative and publishing leaders fear that putting a product into Logos competes with denominational productivity and production (despite my assurances of collaboration). I often have a problem getting phone calls and emails returned--sometimes it takes a dozen or more attempts to finally connect, and then everything has to go through a church committee. The answer is often no, despite the fact that a product is far more functional in Logos--which can make it more threatening to another publisher than if it were a simple ebook.
2) Even for public domain content, there is a long journey toward going live in a Logos product page. Everything we want to do must take its place in line with large contracts signed with major Christian publishers that benefit other denominations but not SDAs; it's easy for our products to get lost in the traffic jam.
3) All products, as you know, go through quite a preparation process to get into the Faithlife ecosystem--that takes time.
4) Part of that process is getting funded, through pre-pubs or community pricing. And lots of good SDA content gets stalled in PP/CP for months before it finally goes live.I reach out constantly with weekly emails and other promotions, and you guys (especially Lynden) work hard on the Forum. But there's only a limited SDA market available.
The best thing you can do is keep promoting Logos/Faithlife products in your own circles of influence as we work together to build Faithlife/SDA. Thanks so much to you all!
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I'm new to Logos but I have immediately fallen in love. I just purchased the SDA Bronze. Is there any way that the EGW collection could be set up as a collection when searching through library? Just like I can search other collections such as DARCOM, or SDA Bible commentary. Would like to just search her writings when needed. Or is this part of that process that you were speaking of?
God bless
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Welcome to the forums Nicolas. Try creating a collection with this rule.
author:"white, ellen", subject:"ellen white writings"
Mission: To serve God as He desires.
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Awesome that worked great. Can we set up custom collections to search on the mobile app? Iphone Logos app to be specific. I use my phone app more than anything and I noticed that it does not have collection search like that Desktop version. It would be nice to not only search by series and collections but custom collection perhaps created on desktop.
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Hi Nicolas! You can do collection searches on any iOS device. Simply click on the search button, then basic (instead of Bible), then instead of "Entire Library" and switch to your collection.
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Martin,
In regards to speeding up the process; since late December I have spent several hours a day exploring the exciting features of Logos; I recognize it as a superb product!
For many years I have enjoyed the benefits of free Bible software. My studies I have been deeply enriched with EGW resources compiled for e-sword via sharpeningthesword.net. Thus from my frame of reference I enthusiastically endorse Logos 6. We first bought the Libronix SDA Bible Commentary expanded version with “Complete Published Writings of EGW” when we attended AFCOE 2006.
Please consider this as friendly dialogue regarding the first of four points you make:
- First it must be licensed…collaboration/…problems/…committees/…functional,…threatening, etc. You state several well-made points.
- Although retired and living upon a fixed income I am eager to purchase additional upgrades as I am able to afford them. Many if not most of those to whom I reach out in ministry as a Bible Worker are not financially capable of purchasing SDA Commentaries or EGW writings unless published materials are given or shared. There are multiple thousands however who do have use of electronic media technology. They quickly acquire inexpensive apps and take advantage of entry level applications. It would seem that those who use Logos are a blessed privileged few; for this we may praise and thank God. In this light I’m quite sure that none of us (privileged) take an elitist attitude.
- Is it threatening to other publishers and users of other software? Perhaps so if the license limits their proprietary rights to use the digital materials. At least I think this may be the fear.
- What if digital versions of the SDA Bible Commentary other than Libronix were developed by other publishers? Does Libronix hold such proprietary rights or is it the Review and Herald? My understanding is that the EG White Estate actively promotes free usage whereas those who have publishing interests have need necessarily to profit or at least support themselves.
I am eager to see progress and resolution to these issues (which I admit are far above my level of understanding). I appreciate the influence that you generate at Logos are supportive of our denomination. Finally let it be said that I also admire the capabilities of such young men as Tim Taylor, an AFCOE friend, who share in their willingness to cooperate with your initiatives.
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Linden, I appreciate your affirmation and fully resonate with your concerns.
Indeed I am committed to getting SDA resources priced as low as possible for the sake of the widest availability among pastors around the world. I caught this passion working with Jim Cress in the Ministerial Association 20 years ago. Beyond my responsibilities with Ministry magazine and the PREACH program, Jim had me continually working on developing low-cost materials for pastors.
I continued collaborating with him for years after I left the GC and went back into pastoring. In 2009 before coming to Faithlife/Logos, I was an unpaid consultant in organizing a discussion for Jim with five world divisions regarding resourcing pastors with Logos Bible Software. Suddenly Jim died, but his dream lives on in my work today. Jim would have been delighted last year to see hundreds of the most financially impoverished SDA pastors receive the world’s best Bible software library—downloaded to them via thumbdrive at pastors’ meetings since many are without Internet access (and thus online freeware can’t help them).
Bottom line: I am continually and fervently negotiating behind the scenes with major SDA copyright holders of content discussed on this forum. The committee system of our church, which safeguards our global organization, is extremely frustrating for our purposes. For example, after months of collaborative effort, GC archivist David Trim and his team worked out a deal for Faithlife/Logos to get hundreds of their documents approved by GC attorneys. We celebrated this week—only to discover that there is one more committee (GC Corporation) to go through (hopefully yet this month). It’s a journey, for sure! But God will continue to bless us as I keep fighting to get quality resources as cheaply as possible into Logos SDA software. We just licensed 500+ more documents with BRI and are about to get the Andrews University Seminary Studies. The ATS Journal is currently being prepared for publication. Much more as well is on the way. Thanks for your support and understanding!
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Martin,
Thanks for your reply... any feedback on my third bullet item? I am delighted to learn that hundreds of financially impoverished pastors received these resources via thumbdrive!
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Just yesterday I reached out again to a key decision maker but haven't heard back. In seeking to license Froom's Prophetic & Conditionalist sets, I reminded this person about the SDA BC arrangement. It's a complex situation--the R&H has held rights to all those key resources, but with the transition, given the church's committee system, to negotiate rights for publication or even for recompiling existing resources (like the SDA BC). I'll keep trying.
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P.S. Back when I was with the Ministerial Association, Jim Cress (around 1994) was thrilled to have arranged with the Review for the Bible Commentaries to be printed at extremely low cost exclusively for impoverished pastors. I would be delighted to take that to the next step in the digital age, available at the lowest possible cost for all pastors, in the latest technology.
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I am not sure if this is correct but as I have been promoting Logos among the brethren I need to ask, "does the SDA packages from starter to silver has the complete works of EG White".
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Colin G Dawson said:
"does the SDA packages from starter to silver has the complete works of EG White".
Ellen White's writings are in Bronze and higher. https://www.logos.com/compare/sda
Mission: To serve God as He desires.
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Colin, tell me what you are doing to promote Logos software and I might be able to arrange a quantity discount.
Martin
You can email me: Martin[dot]Weber@faithlife[dot]com
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Any progress report with this yet? Many of us are very anxious for this udate!
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Technical problems have kept cropping up, the last of which (I hope) was resolved last week with the help of the White Estate. It's been a nightmare of digital difficulties with 402 resources. No definite finish date yet. I'll keep up the intensity in pushing the process along.
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Martin Weber said:
Technical problems have kept cropping up, the last of which (I hope) was resolved last week with the help of the White Estate.
Ok, well thanks for the update! I know many who are excitedly holding their breath for this!
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Timothy Taylor said:
Ok, well thanks for the update! I know many who are excitedly holding their breath for this!
We need more persons to get on board.
Mission: To serve God as He desires.
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Does this mean that we are getting close to the release date, or do we have several months yet to wait?
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I cannot get an accurate estimated shipping date to share with you--it would be difficult to exaggerate the complexity of this particular operation. But progress is being made week by week and I'm pushing as hard as I possibly can.
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The only important thing is to get it done right!
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Martin Weber said:
- At that time those who purchase upgrades to Logos 6 Bronze and Silver will also receive automatic downloads of the updated EGW files. Meanwhile, they immediately receive the existing EGW files if they buy an upgrade to Logos 6 Bronze & Silver—so they won’t have to wait to have EGW in their Logos library.
- Ellen G. White Lifeworks is also available as a separate pre-pub purchase on www.logos.com -- but those who buy EGW Lifeworks separately will have to wait until the updated collection goes live (as wtih any other pre-pub). This provides incentive for buying SDA Bronze or Silver so as to get the existing files now and the update when it's completed.
I can understand not putting it live until enough new orders come through to kick out the updated files, because you want people to buy SDA Bronze or Silver.
But when a person goes to the EGW Lifeworks product page, I don't see any announcement of the info that they can get the old files now if they buy a base package rather than buy separately and have to wait. I just hope that when a base package is purchased (via the EGW product page or not) that the EGW product prepub gets updated to reflect that order.
There should be a clear header with this info above the Overview section. I know that on the right sidebar it says that it's included in the base packages, but I doubt many pay much attention to it. And even then you wouldn't know that the old files will be made available immediately.
Also, I imagine a lot of SDA Logos users already have the old EGW files, maybe also offer the possibility to have them help it happen sooner. I'd be willing to pay $5-10 (even if it will be given free, if i do nothing) to get the pre-pub closer to 100% I imagine quite of number of users also would. That way we can get the new files out sooner.
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Martin, I have a question for you. I purchased the Libronix CD with EGW's writings on it, and I had that added to my account.
Then, I purchased the Logos Silver SDA package, which also is supposed to come with EGW's writings, correct?
My question then, is... if I've paid for Ellen White's writings twice, can I have one copy transferred to my wife's account and still keep a copy on mine so that we can both have it?
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Timothy, you got a discount (dynamic pricing) when you bought Silver SDA based on all the books you already had in your library, including Ellen White's writings. So you have not paid for any resources twice.
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