Personnel changes at Faithlife

Again, pardon my ignorance, but if things were ever to go pads up at Logos, or is it now just Faithlife, does this mean what I presently have purchased / the program itself, is not going to work at all or as well?

 

Great question! That is my main concern as well. I know that you can still run the program offline but what IF Faithlife were to fail, would I be able to ever install it again on a new computer or even my current one? Those are questions I would like answered to my satisfaction before I invest a lot more money into this software.

would I be able to ever install it again on a new computer or even my current one?

If Faithlife closed down, then we'd eventually lose access to our books unless:

1. We backed up the entire installation, including the licence file.
2. Or, another company bought out the assets and maintained the licence servers, etc.
3. Or, users worked out how to hack the licence file.

I am 99% certain that Faithlife won't close down, 99.99% certain that if the do another company would maintain the service, and 99.99999% certain that if that didn't happen then users would work something out.

There's been plenty of discussion about this over the years, particularly here: https://community.logos.com/forums/p/121491/795581.aspx#795581 

Somewhere, someone has  said ...

“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?  And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?  And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.  “But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!  Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’  “For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.  So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Has Faithlife bought out Logos or is this another name for the same company. Also JRS, thanks for the heads up, but this same thing in principal was said about Biblesoft. At least with them, one could (and has) the program still on disk.

Logos changed it;s name to faithlife because it offers a secondary Bible Program and church presentation software, as well as Noet philosophy humanities software.

-Dan

I thought Logos 6 now "phones home" to get licensing info? If that's true, and if Faithlife the company exists no more, our software wouldn't be able to call home to validate licensing info. The program might still function but we won't have access to any of our resources.

Correct me if I'm wrong.

I'm normally not concerned about the viability of Faithlife as a company. But if some of the comments on Glassdoor is indeed true - that it is internally a poorly managed company, that many employees view FL as a stepping-stone for their careers and thus the company is unable to retain good talent long-term, then I'm really concerned.

And thinking back on the various botched / amateur instances of new product rollout (e.g. Logos 4), server meltdowns, out-of-control over-zealous marketing / sales pushes, inability to complete or stick with projects (think how many attempts the company has had for a web-based version of its software), false starts (Faithlife Dating Service), I have to believe that some of these allegations might hold some truth.

So for the first time since Logos 1, I'm worried about the long-term vitality of the company.

Peter

I thought Logos 6 now "phones home" to get licensing info? If that's true, and if Faithlife the company exists no more, our software wouldn't be able to call home to validate licensing info. The program might still function but we won't have access to any of our resources.

Correct me if I'm wrong.

I'm normally not concerned about the viability of Faithlife as a company. But if some of the comments on Glassdoor is indeed true - that it is internally a poorly managed company, that many employees view FL as a stepping-stone for their careers and thus the company is unable to retain good talent long-term, then I'm really concerned.

And thinking back on the various botched / amateur instances of new product rollout (e.g. Logos 4), server meltdowns, out-of-control over-zealous marketing / sales pushes, inability to complete or stick with projects (think how many attempts the company has had for a web-based version of its software), false starts (Faithlife Dating Service), I have to believe that some of these allegations might hold some truth.

So for the first time since Logos 1, I'm worried about the long-term vitality of the company.

Peter

The books are encrypted with a key that's on your hard drive.

I'm normally not concerned about the viability of Faithlife as a company. But if some of the comments on Glassdoor is indeed true - that it is internally a poorly managed company, that many employees view FL as a stepping-stone for their careers and thus the company is unable to retain good talent long-term, then I'm really concerned.

When evaluating the comments, look at the department that people are from, and whether they're a current employee or a former employee. You'll notice that the majority of comments that are negative about management are in the marketing/sales department, which suggests that if there is a problem, it's largely restricted to that one area.

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.

My advice ... ignore most of the thread because most of it is speculation not knowledge. And since we don't have the facts to see what is going on, we can scarcely say we've seen it before although we may have seen something that bore distinct similarities from the perspective of a user without knowledge of the innards of the company.

"Where there's smoke, there's fire" or, the beginning of one.

I wonder if the people that lost their job would so cavalierly describe their situation as "an illusion". 

Great question! That is my main concern as well. I know that you can still run the program offline but what IF Faithlife were to fail, would I be able to ever install it again on a new computer or even my current one? Those are questions I would like answered to my satisfaction before I invest a lot more money into this software.

I, too, am not a "fanboy" of Faithlife, but I believe Bob and the leadership love FL as much as you love using the Logos products. I also, believe Bob would do right by its customers and the company reputation. Independent of Bob and all the current employees, the Logos Bible Software is a good product. Bob would be less than wise to let such a good thing  slip between his fingers. In a remotest, chance of failure a wise businessman would snap it up before it hits the ground.

Remember, Christian users, "...God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." You have nothing to fear for the future of Logos Bible Software, lest you forget, how Faithlife took care of its customers in the past. Ask questions, be inquisitive, but don't worry, Logos is a quality product. Its practicality speaks for itself. No Fear!

 The New King James Version. (1982). (2 Ti 1:7). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

I suspect that it is the makeup of the user base as the original target market has little overlap with Logos.

MJ,

Please unpack this statement.

Mark, you mention backing up %localappdata% ... I cannot find this on my system. Also, you mention backing up the license file.

Can you add a bit to what you're saying, e.g. how to actually back up the system should Faithlife go pads up & our computer(s) burst into a ball of flame at the same time. (Hopefully a hyperbole)