Auto sync of resources: a good idea?
Reading the news today about Zondervan / Logos brought back to mind a question that occurred to me when Amazon pulled George Orwell's books from the Kindle. What would it take for Logos to yank a book out of my library? Zondervan would have enough clout to do that. Many long-time Logos users have books that are no longer available for purchase. Could books like that disappear? It would be helpful to know what are we buying. I haven't read the EULA in a long time. Do we only buy rights to use the book? Just wondering.
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I'm not the expert on this subject by any means (but I thought I'd chime in with what I know while Bob's away). Please don't take my answers as the official company position, but just a reflection of my best understanding. (I'm just a lowly developer... [:)])
We are working to build a definitive archive of all resources so that Logos 4 can automatically download them, whether they be in Logos 4, LBXLLS or (gasp!) LSF/LIX format. (LSF/LIX we will probably rebuild.) I think we're working to get books from third-party publishers into our system, so that you don't have to trawl the internet for Galaxie journals, for example. (This will probably start to come online in the Beta 4 or Beta 5 timeframe.)
I think that this archive will include the resources we can no longer sell (but did in the past). That being said, I think there are a handful of books that we are not allowed to redistribute at all, but I don't believe we have any obligation to the publishers to remove those books from the systems of customers who legitimately purchased them in the past. I don't know how our current contracts are written, but I suspect that we don't write in clauses that would require us to remove resources from customers. (After all, that's just more work for us. [:)])
Worst case, we just won't be able to download resources that are no longer for sale (but I hope it doesn't come to that). I don't see us ever proactively deleting resources from existing customers just because our license to sell them to new customers has expired.
Worst case, we just won't be able to download resources that are no longer for sale
Bradley
Thanks for the information as to what is happening. I trust you appreciate that this raises more questions for Bob to answer, because the reality & consequences of "cloud" resource management are just beginning to sink in and I think it would be best for Logos to be proactive by publicising:-
- the policy
- its implementation
- its consequences
- its handling of specific issues eg. for your worst case above, or when Logos cannot obtain/does not have a copy, how will Logos handle my investment when I have a copy?
I really want to avoid more individual debate by having something concrete to "shoot" at!
Dave
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Windows 11 & Android 13
Worst case, we just won't be able to download resources that are no longer for saleBradley
Thanks for the information as to what is happening. I trust you appreciate that this raises more questions for Bob to answer, because the reality & consequences of "cloud" resource management are just beginning to sink in and I think it would be best for Logos to be proactive by publicising:-
- the policy
- its implementation
- its consequences
- its handling of specific issues eg. for your worst case above, or when Logos cannot obtain/does not have a copy, how will Logos handle my investment when I have a copy?
I really want to avoid more individual debate by having something concrete to "shoot" at!
Dave I agree with you but, you know how much Bob hate to make policy let alone make it public.....this is one of those times Bob where you really do need to put a policy out there to avoid wanton speculation...
The following is looking more at license syncing than resource syncing, but this thread made me think of it. Will we have control of our license (and not need to connect to Logos to install Libronix?
Summary of the following:
1. The need to get licenses through a central computer may be very difficult for overseas workers working in areas that either don't have internet, or closely monitor internet activity (possibly against bible use).
2. If the political winds should blow in the direction of getting rid of teh Bible, having all the licenses centrally located would effectively give them the ability to remove everyone's libraries overnight.
3. If Logos should go out of business, there will be no way to reinstall our libraries.
--
This made me think of one thing I really like about Libronix.
If I have the program, the resources and the license on disk, I can
install Libronix without any need to connect to a central computer.
Normally this wouldn't matter, but my location and a study of history
gives a few concerns to our licenses being controlled centrally.
I
live in a country that did at one time try to get rid of all the Bibles
(though that was in the past and they are now printed here). For a
print bible you can keep them stuffed away. For L3 I could keep it on
my computer and unlimited backups in different places. If the licenses
are all kept at a central location (Logos headquarters), it would be
very easy for someone to remove everyone's entire libraries overnight.
there may be a few that get word of it and never connect that computer
to the internet again (thus keeping their library), but if the computer
ever crashed, etc. and they needed to reinstall, it would be impossible
and the libraries would eventually be lost.
That isn't happening
right now in the US (where the licenses are stored), but it has
happened in many places, continues to happen today in many places and
the political winds can change, sometimes quite quickly.
Also,
there are many countries that have no/very limited internet or that
strickly control internet use. Even if Logos is having no problems, if
I, or others who live in such places, need to reinstall Libronix, it
may be a long time before that would be a possibility. One great
advantage of Libronix is for overseas workers who don't want to carry a
library, but if they need to connect to the internet to register their
licenses or books are forced to be downloaded through very slow
connections, many overseas workers (including myself in the future)
will no longer be able to use Libronix (or at least not install it on a
new computer).
One other thought would be if Logos would ever go out of business. I know that isn't looking likely right now and everyone is working hard to make sure it never does, but if it should, we will lose our libraries as computers crash and die. There will be no more reinstalling.
www.3rdcultureliving.com - Simple Abundant Legacy
Bradley's right. (He usually is.)
We don't have any way to delete a book on your system, that I know of, and no intention to do it. We don't have any contracts with publishers that require (or could require) us to take back something you already have.
-- Bob
Reading the news today about Zondervan / Logos brought back to mind a question that occurred to me when Amazon pulled George Orwell's books from the Kindle.
If I remember correctly, the problem Amazon had was that the company that sold these books through Amazon to Kindle users did not have permission from the actual copyright holder to do so.
If Zondervan is selling Zondervan books through Logos, I don't think this is a real threat.Since Logos only deals with actual copyright holders, this shouldn't be a problem with any books sold by Logos (or Nelson, for that matter).
It might be a good idea to read the EULA, but the bigger issue is the agreement between Logos and other copyright holders. As far as I know, that agreement requires that once books are sold to a customer, that agreement cannot be rescinded unless the user breaks the EULA.
Help links: WIKI; Logos 6 FAQ. (Phil. 2:14, NIV)
Excellent question Tim, I would like some reassurances on this as well. On a related note, what bout the feature in 4 that is supposed to download missing resources. Does this/ can this apply to resources that Libronix no longer can sell?
I would initially think not, but why not maintain distribution rights for books already sold? What then about missing books? How can I be sure I have all of them without manually inserting every CD I've ever had (ugh!)?
It sure gets back to user control and we are used to having a backup to our licenses, controlling which resources we have in our Program files folder...are we really having all of this taken away? I feel like I am in a tug or war and don't know if my attitude is healthy. Do I just let go and say nothing? Also, I would really like to know if new resources that come out after v. 4 is official, will also work on version 3? My husband has had more than one discussion with me since he sees the direction Logos seems to be headed in--he fully realizes they are a business but wants to protect me and wants to know my options.
Joan you are a customer.... I am a customer, Dave is a customer etc... it is essential we ask these questions and certainly not wrong to do so... the fact that you wrestle with the question is an indication of your hearts desire to do the right thing so I don't think your attitude is unhealthy in any way and I never read anything you have said that would make me think otherwise. Its a good thing to ask questons of companies for which we enter into financial transactions with... even ones we trust like Logos... I don't believe they would ever intentailly set about to do the wrong thing by us... and I believe it would always be their intent, as Bradley has indicated, to try and protect the finanical investment we have all made in our libraries..but I still think these are loose ends that need asking so the qustions are good ones to ask.