should i buy?

i am trying to decide whether to invest in the NICOT/NT at the discount price. i already own 10 volumes in print. that would leave 30 to go if i purchased them in print - which i would do over a long period of time as needed.Does it make sense to spend money on something that i have alreedy invested in in print? on the other hand by buying them electronically i would have them all and also have the search and cross reference capability.

i am sure that some of you have had the same dillema. Any thoughts?

Thanks

howard silverman

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DAL

If I had the money I would get them. You could sell your print volumes or wait a few years to allow them to go out of print and then you can make some money...;-)

I wish they could sell them in two parts OT & NT but we'll see what the publisher wants to do.

Mark Smith

I had your situation as well, but probably more than 10 volumes in print. For me the decisive factor was a decision about three years ago to try to centralize my studying as much as possible in Logos. This fall I sold about 150 volumes I had duplicated in Logos over the past number of years, including my NICNT/NICOT volumes. The market for used books isn't great unless you sell them directly to others. I didn't make a lot, but it helped with another purchase

nicky crane

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/206664#Comment_206664

I had a similar situation with Zondervan EBC, and paid up to have it in Logos as I wasn't using it in the other programme. NICOT/NT was a big investment, but I'm using it most days. Re your 10 volumes, it works out a bit more expensive per volume in Logos. Up to you to decide if it's worth it to you for the extra volumes and the convenience of having them in Logos. I'm glad I invested [:)]

David Langer

Amazon is selling the hard copy at approx. $35/volume or you can buy the NT set for $751.00 new or the OT set volumes are similarly priced or the set for $1097.00. So you can buy hard copies volumes individually if you desire, but in the long run you will spend more than what Logos is asking on this sale.

For me, I bit the bullet, put it on a 1 year payment plan (add in $60.00) and decided the stewardship of limited resources was justified as I would be adding these volumes one way or another. Plus with Logos I can take the entire set within me wherever I go (even overseas to places like Iraq and Afghanistan).

Just my $.02 YMMV.

David Langer

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/206847#Comment_206847

Fat fingered a few words above, but you get the idea. . .

Howard Silverman

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/206851#Comment_206851

Thanks much foir the input!!

howard

Edwin Bowden

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/208054#Comment_208054

I had to cancel my pre-pub order on the set over a year ago because of finances.

I passed on the same price on Black Friday as is being offered now.

When I saw it again at this price, I knew that it was unlikely to ever be cheaper. I have about half the set in print, but have not used them much since I started using my Logos software 3 yrs ago. Having resources in my Logos library is sooooooo much better than having them in print.

The set is great.

The price is good.

Having them in your Logos library is priceless. [:)]

I highly recommend their purchase.

Jim Poulsen

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/206664#Comment_206664

Hi Mark, I've struggled with this question (to keep duplicate hard copy resources or sell them) ever since upgrading to Logos 4 a year ago. In fact, I justified the upgrade to myself (and to my wife) with the point that I can sell a large portion of my library (free up space and dollars) to help fund the upgrade plus additional resources. However, after further reflection, I've settled on keeping my best/favourite duplicate resources since I think it's only a matter of time before the Logos owners will be presented with a too good to refuse buyout offer, probably in the range of 7-8 figures. The new owners will need to get a better ROI to justify the capital investment and so the business model will be changed to charge customers more, probably as a monthly or annual user fee to stabilize their revenue base. Those who don't have healthy church budgets to absorb the additional costs will face a dilema, use their current version until it no longer works on whatever OS they use, change to other software, or pay the piper.

And so as a layperson without a church budget subsidy, I'm keeping all hard copies in several series even though they are duplicated in Logos: NIGTC, Pillar, NAC, NICOT/NICNT, WBC etc. I would definitely take a different position if the software was owned by a 501(c)(3) registered charity but I don't think it is, so it's only a matter of time ...

PS - I think Logos 4 is a great product, with terrific value, but its success may also be its downfall for some people as it becomes more financially attractive for takeover/buyout by corporate America.

Mark Smith

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/208076#Comment_208076

Jim, you've painted a grim picture. Only time will tell if you are right. Never-the-less you have taken the path that you feel gives you the best security on your overall investment which is wise.

JJ Miller

Does it make sense to spend money on something that i have alreedy invested in in print? on the other hand by buying them electronically i would have them all and also have the search and cross reference capability.

Howard,

You have hit the nail on the head with the second part of your statement. It is the ability to search those resources that makes Logos worth its weight in gold.

As you surmised, may of us have faced this same issue. In fact, I think I had about 10 NICOT/NT volumes and then purchased the entire NICOT/NT series ... and I purchased the entire set in print, selling my 10 volumes and updating. About 3 months later, Logos announced the entire series on prepub. Arrgh!

Actually, it took me all of about 3 minutes to decide what I should do: sell all those brand new books and invest for what makes sense... Logos and the supreme ability to actually use these tools (NICOT/NT commentaries). My wife thought I was nuts! (But, she has known that for a while).

Think how valuable the NICOT/NT series is. It is clearly a top-flight commentary series for many of us in evangelical circles. So, the question is: how do I best use it? Logos allows me to dig deep in NIC set a dozen different ways, but the point is that I use things more effectively when they are integrated into my Bible Study system... and that is Logos. Oh, I am a book lover... like most of us, I have a large print library in addition to Logos. But, we have a limited budget and we can not afford to have both books and electronic resources. For me, the choice was clear... it was the content that was most important and the usability of that content was king. The print copies were sold and the Logos was purchased... and over the last year, I have benefited greatly from that decision. I am guessing you will too.

Simon Mitchell

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/208076#Comment_208076

Jim, thanks for the warning. I'm residing overseas at this time so switching to an electronic library was a good choice for me. I left most of my print books back home because it was impractical to take too many books with me. Your comments will help me when selecting any further books to add to my electronic library.

Howard Silverman

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/208120#Comment_208120

i have read about this issue elsewhere and about the possibility of future formats that might not support this huge investment of software. but who can know the future. i would hope that with so much investment, ways would be available to continue to use the software should tha t day ever come. so we shall see. i made the investmebnt. i also purchased the Hermeneia set as well.

thanks for the input!

howard

Ronald Quick

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/208169#Comment_208169

There are some resources that I do have in print, but purchased them in Logos too because they can travel with me.

I also do more highlighting and note taking in Logos than when reading a book in print.

John Fidel

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/208169#Comment_208169

i have read about this issue elsewhere and about the possibility of future formats that might not support this huge investment of software. but who can know the future. i would hope that with so much investment, ways would be available to continue to use the software should tha t day ever come

I have been using bible software since it was distributed on 5 1/4" floppies and have not lost any resources. Most companies have continued to upgrade their software with technological advances, or others have stepped in allowing for resources to be read. Could it happen that our resources become obsolete? Yes. Could your books be lost to natural disasters? Yes. I think we use the resources God provides us for God's glory and leave the rest to Him.

Wayne

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/208172#Comment_208172

All formats for buying books are subject to loss. Libraries spend thousands of library to maintain their books at an appropriate temperature and humidity. They have to post guards to keep books from walking. Large individual libraries have to be boxed and shipped with every move. Books are often left behind due to the difficulties in maintaining print libraries I will shortly leave 800 books behind due to the cost of shipping. Is Logos the best option for everyone? Of course not, but for many the ability to search, ease of transport, availability in a growing number of electronic mediums has made it a risk that it acceptable.

Any book that you buy in whatever medium should be evaluated as to whether it will be a current help. I would define a current help as anywhere from this moment to within a maximum of five to ten years.

In my first half of my ministry print books were the only option. Now in my second half, I have gone principally to Logos. I have spent much less money for a better library in Logos than I had in print. If I only get ten more years out of my current Logos library then my cost will average $200 a year for a 2,000 volume library. ($3,000 divided by fifteen years). I spent much more than that every year to build up a print library with much less quality.

Edwin Bowden

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/208169#Comment_208169

i have read about this issue elsewhere and about the possibility of future formats that might not support this huge investment of software. but who can know the future. i would hope that with so much investment, ways would be available to continue to use the software should tha t day ever come. so we shall see. i made the investmebnt. i also purchased the Hermeneia set as well.

thanks for the input!

howard

Previously there was a long gap between the time a resource was available in print and when it became available in Logos. In the last 18 months, Logos has made major advances in its relationships with major publishers like Zondervan, Baker and Eerdmans in bringing newer resources into Logos. This helps users to have confidence that they do not have to buy in print and wait a long time to replace them with software versions. I am fully committed to building my library in Logos. Having the title on the shelf does not give me the kind of access that it does in the computer. This is after 40 years of building a large personal library.

Howard Silverman

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/208330#Comment_208330

yes i have noticed that newer books have become available. no doubt that the access available via electronic books is remarkable. I have been a logos user since the late 90's but have avoided (until last year when L4 was introduced but especially now) buying resources that i have in print. This conversation has been very helpful in recognizing that it a good investment to buy logos resources even if i own them in print.

thanks,

howard

Edwin Bowden

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/208333#Comment_208333

This conversation has been very helpful in recognizing that it a good investment to buy logos resources even if i own them in print.

Logos was a paradigm shift for me. I had assumed that I didn't want to duplicate what I had on my shelf. Then I discovered that I was using titles in Logos that had been sitting on my shelf UNUSED for decades. Usability is the key. I find and use material that I had but wasn't using.