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I have now had a
chance to gather my thoughts. I have not had a lot of time to spend on the
program so far.
I really like the new
interface. Once I was told it emulates the Apple environment I was able to
re-orient and understand the strategy. It also made me realize that LDLS 3.0
was a bit Rube Goldberg. I went to two Morris Proctor camps to learn 3.0.
I had no problems
with installation, and consider the time for indexing an acceptable nuisance
(sort of like George Somsel).
I am not a David Hooton-class user. I am like a car owner. I
don’t know what’s under the hood (and don’t care), but I can drive well. I like
speed, which is why I buy fast computers (and cars). I am a trial attorney, so
I have a limited amount of time for study to complete my M.A.R. at RTS (graduate
in a year). LDLS 3.0 has been an invaluable resource for this, and I frankly
would not be moving at the pace I am without it. I think 4.0 will be even more
valuable. I have taken the basic Greek grammar, and study it a lot on the side.
I am bibliophile (although not idolatrous about it like George Somsel) and this
is a terrific environment that is superior to paper books in just about every
way except the tactile pleasure of holding a volume.
I am a keyboarder
because using a mouse is too slow. I’m having to get used to using a mouse
more, which is OK, but I hope that more keyboard shortcuts are forthcoming.
Likes:
Preliminary
spousal testing protocols by wife who does no Bible study on a computer and has
difficulty with maps resulted in 8/10 rating. Highly favorable spousal reaction
resulted in slight recognition of this tester’s previous boasting about Logos
software.
Visually, the graphics and layouts are clean, attractive,
and do not strain the eye; pictures seem crisper.
Layouts are very easy to put together and save and function
much better than workspaces.
The benefits from indexing are the bomb. I see little need
for collections any more, and that is from someone who spent a lot of time
putting collections together. The speed on most operations is impressive.
Adore the information
windows that flip over and give data on the resource. The images of the book in
the resource window familiarize me with the text and add a comfort I didn't
have before
Adore the ability to
drag and drop a cited resource into a new window.
Hovering over a link
and clicking on it opens a window for the cite that does not disappear when I
move the cursor away.
Dislikes:
Can’t find how to keyboard Greek fonts, assume this is
forthcoming.
Can’t move a window around inside the desktop without floating
it. Don’t like how it floats everywhere. I usually have 8 to 10 apps open at a
time and navigate by alt-tab; this is an extra window to scroll through.
I can’t de-float(?) a window.
Utterly despise windows-style title bar and boxing of
floating window; it mars the aesthetic so horribly I cannot comment on it appropriately
in a biblical forum.
Slows down my computer, including my Core i7. Most functions pause before executing; irritating like the
pause of a poorly-tuned sports car after you mash the accelerator. Also seems
to affect the speed of other apps.
I have absolutely no idea what the “active reference” and “visual
markup” functions are. Some of the functions aren’t self-apparent, and will be
of no use to a mainstream user. They tend to make me feel stupid.
Some searches are surprisingly slow. A search of the entire
library for “office of the keys” took 30 seconds, while a search for “perichoresis”
took only .33 seconds. Hmm.
I want to be able to search a single resource in the search
window without having to open it. For example, if I want to search HALOT for an
English word (I don’t know Hebrew so having HALOT indexed is the bomb). I want
to be able to type in HALOT in the search box and have it searched, that way I
save time and don’t open the resource unless I want to. Right now I have to
open the resource to search it.
It is terrifically important that all Logos resources be
fully integrated with all other resources. By this I mean that I want a
resource that I own that is cited in another resource to be linked, no
exceptions. I know, I know, I can hear the groans already, but you guys are
building a terrific program and if all of our resources can be indexed then
they can also be fully linked. “But Mike, you don’t understand....” Neither
will your customers who own cited resources that aren’t linked. I paid a pile
of money for several Greek critical apparatuses (including the unjustifiably expensive SESB) and I also bought “Text of the Earliest New Testament Greek
Manuscripts.” When P46 is cited in the apparatus I want to be able
to float over it and read it, and then drag and drop it into a new window. I can’t do that
now.
I will be getting around to looking at notes and other
functions, and will file another report in the next week or so.
