There is lots to like about the new Factbook and links, but …
It still falls short. For instance, looking at the Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13), there are 19 links in the ESV, which point to a handful of Factbook articles.
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
The links add up thusly:
Disciples: 7
God: 8
Earth: 1
Food: 1
Sinner: 1
Satan: 1
What's missing? Links to the Kingdom of God, the will of God, heaven, debts, and temptation, all of which have Factbook entries, and which would have been far more beneficial than 8 links to God and 7 links to the disciples. I hope that this is still an early stage of the Factbook link, but right now it's of very, very limited value.
Comments
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If I understand correctly, only certain kinds of entities (according to their typing in Factbook) link to Factbook in the Factbook visual filter, including people and things. "Concepts" don't.
“The trouble is that everyone talks about reforming others and no one thinks about reforming himself.” St. Peter of Alcántara
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Currently, the links are only to people, places, and things. We have plans to expose much more of the content that is available in Factbook, but I don't have any information about when or if that will actually happen.
Andrew Batishko | Logos software developer
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Currently, the links are only to people, places, and things. We have plans to expose much more of the content that is available in Factbook, but I don't have any information about when or if that will actually happen.
Which, unfortunately, leaves it an anemic tool instead of a powerful help. Let's be honest, a Factbook visual filter that only links to a small part of what the Factbook actually contains is like a dictionary that only contains words with two vowels or less.
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You can also right click on the text, select the desired reference on the left side of the menu, then select the Factbook option on the right to open Factbook to that reference.
Andrew Batishko | Logos software developer
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Let's be honest, a Factbook visual filter that only links to a small part of what the Factbook actually contains is like a dictionary that only contains words with two vowels or less.
I think of the new Factbook more as a lexicon that has only published volume 1 of an anticipated 23. It lays out the framework for the entire lexicon but provides entries for a (frustratingly) few. This was my situation in graduate school ... a century old incomplete dictionary or the first few volumes of a new comprehensive dictionary in German. If you check out the Context Menu you will see a number of new links to Factbook there which adds significantly to the number of links at your finger tips.
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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You can also right click on the text, select the desired reference on the left side of the menu, then select the Factbook option on the right to open Factbook to that reference.
I aware of that; I've used Logos several years. And I really appreciate how the Factbook itself has been improved and made far more complete. I realize the in-text linking is a small issue, but (using the Lord's Prayer as an example) I would be far more interested in quick links to the Kingdom, heaven, the will of God, sin, than numerous links to the same topics.
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MJ. Smith said:
[quote user=I think of the new Factbook more as a lexicon that has only published volume 1 of an anticipated 23. It lays out the framework for the entire lexicon but provides entries for a (frustratingly) few. This was my situation in graduate school ... a century old incomplete dictionary or the first few volumes of a new comprehensive dictionary in German. If you check out the Context Menu you will see a number of new links to Factbook there which adds significantly to the number of links at your finger tips.
I agree; this is a great analogy. I'm a little concerned with Andrew saying that there are plans for more, but he doesn't know IF they will actually be released. WHEN they are released is a different matter; I'm a really patient guy when there's a confident WHEN to come. But I'm also just OCD enough to be frustrated by poorly/partially implemented features.
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from another thread, a bit of encouragement
Sean Boisen said:Tom, since Factbook is a centerpiece of the Logos 9 experience, we'll be working on updates for some time. Like Wikipedia, there's not really a point where we can say "Done", though we're eager to get past the errors and omissions so we can focus on just keeping up with genuinely new information and adding more relationships. In particular, there is a lot of data on authors and their denominational associations that hasn't yet had enough review, so please keep reporting errors as you find them. The current plan is to ship new Factbook data on a 2-week cycle.
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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We still have months of work for a multi-developer team planned, so we will be making a number of improvements in the near future. However, it's difficult to predict ahead of time exactly what work will get prioritized. Some of that is dependent on feedback from you, our customers. Until changes are actually implemented, I will always do my best to avoid making promises about when or if specific changes will occur.
Andrew Batishko | Logos software developer
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We still have months of work for a multi-developer team planned, so we will be making a number of improvements in the near future. However, it's difficult to predict ahead of time exactly what work will get prioritized. Some of that is dependent on feedback from you, our customers. Until changes are actually implemented, I will always do my best to avoid making promises about when or if specific changes will occur.
I understand, and I appreciate your honesty, Andrew. Please know that YOU aren't the target of my mild frustration. I'll get off my hobby horse now!
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