Update to v5

[biblemanjohn]

It has been more than a year since 5.0F has been released.  Is BibleSoft not updating their product any longer?

[Joan]

Hi biblemanjohn,

I think (and in jest) that all that led up to 5.0f and just getting it out, wore many of us out.
Seriously, you do ask a good question.  God Bless

[PraiseGod!]

It does appear that Version 5.0F is the end of the line given the lack of any updates for a year and departure of at least one key staff member.

On the other hand, perhaps Biblesoft 6.0 awaits the release of Windoze 7.0, a product that will immediately solve all the problems induced by the previous versions of Vista and cause 5.0F to instantly soar like an eagle, sans bugs. Hmmmm . . .

[biblemanjohn]

Hmmm that is a shame if that is true.  I like the program and want to see it continue.

[Joan]

Well, Biblesoft continues to add new resources.  I can't imagine they would do that if they weren't going to continue to be viable; it would not be a fair business practice particularly by a Christian software company.  IMHO

[Ted]

Biblesoft is still very much a going concern.  Development continues both on the PC Study Bible program and on new reference works to use within the program (as Joan mentioned).  When new updates and/or releases are available, you will see them announced on our website.  However, like many software companies, we don't comment on current development details or on release dates until they are imminent.

Thanks,

Ted

[biblemanjohn]

Please don't take this wrong but I think no updates for more than a year is just cause for concern.  I hope that all is well at Biblesoft but a major reason to purchase PCSB is the "support" and upgrades that we had become accustom to.

[BootJack]

Biblesoft is still very much a going concern.  Development continues both on the PC Study Bible program and on new reference works to use within the program (as Joan mentioned).  When new updates and/or releases are available, you will see them announced on our website.  However, like many software companies, we don't comment on current development details or on release dates until they are imminent. Thanks, Ted  

Hi Ted! Hope all is well with yourself and family.  Ted, we're well over one year since an update has barrelled down the tubes (or is that "the lines" ) and therefore it is quite difficult for me to believe very much effort is being made to move up the line to (never mind ver 6) say ver 7. This program is not even able to handle the "Glass" in Vista and how long has Vista been about? Over one year since any fixes to the main program??? All I've been told regarding the "Glass" in Vista is that it isn't important. Maybe not to an individual or two, but it does give the appearance of not keeping up to date with things not a little.

I'm not sure as to what Logos is doing since I am really not interested, but I do know that Online Bible has been updated more than once over the last year or so. If a team of workers were really at their stations working on this so called Joshua technology, I cannot believe we would be without updates over this long a period of time. How else could it appear but that this thing has come to a sure stop apart from selling ad-dons for the present program.

Wish you the best Ted!!!

[biblemanjohn]

I was wondering if we were going to see anything soon?  It has been another 6 months since any updates were made.

[nharper]

I've been with Biblesoft for a long time and still love the product. I use it all the time along with another Bible program. My other program was upgraded all their program and it is great. Now it is time for Biblesoft to do the same before they fall far behind the many other Bible programs out there. Hopfully they will do that soon and we don't have to wait a year for it. By far Biblesoft is still the most friendly user product out there, but v6 0or v7 is needed. I've grew with this company and will hate to see it fall so far behind. They have great prices and good sells all the time not like other programs here there prices are so high. I'm not looking for major changes to already a good product, but to keep up with the current technology. I hope the updates will remain easy to use yet equipped to handle the many changes this has taken place in computer tech. Good luck on the upgrade and looking forward to it soon, I pray the God will give Bible soft the wisdom to produce a product every one will be happy with. For the price paid this is a great product and again I'll hate to see it discontinue. Let's work to keep it going for the seek of those like me who really need you!!!
{This is the first Bible program I purchase many years ago}
Please Biblesoft let the users of your product know what's going on, You don't have to give major details, but encouragement that you guys are doing something for the many faithful user of your product.

[BootJack]

Well Nharper, it appears you are not getting any response from Biblesoft on this one. Kirt having hit the road and now Ted - what does this tell you?

That the end of the line has come for this program seems a fair assessment. I mean, c'mon, nothing upgraded since 5.0F.  :-) 

[mhl6493]

Oh well, looks like we can cue the crickets, folks.  I do believe I'm officially going to jump ship now and move to another program.  Patience is one thing, but this total lack of response is ridiculous!

[Gary Osborne]

Unfortunately it does look like the handwriting is on the wall.  But to be honest, the handwriting has been there for some time now (at least a year as far as I'm concerned).  Too bad, as I too have been with Biblesoft for over a decade now.  Hopefully the product will continue to be compatible with new Windows OS's.  I'll be really disappointed if that is not the case for some time to come because the truth is PC Study Bible still offers far more material I'm interested in than any of the others out there.

Gary

[lestasha]

My two cents worth:  I've been a faithful Biblesoft user for around 15 years and am disappointed like so many others.  Do you suppose they will surprise all of their old faithful customers with a free upgrade if and when they finally come out with a new version?   That could possibly win me back from Quickverse that is now getting my upgrade money every couple years.  By the way, for those looking for another program, Quickverse does update yearly and in the last four years their program has never had has many bugs in it's initial release as the Biblesoft program (customer support via email is lousy but the phone works and I've seldom needed it).  But I would suggest looking at Wordsearch/Bible Explorer too before making a purchase.  I purchased Quickverse over that a few years ago only because I could buy their year old version and get more of the books I wanted for a much lower price than I could purchase any of the other programs.

[JohnB]

I am intrigued by this passion for a new version!
Upgrades to speed the program and to de-bug the existing one I can understand but upgrades for the sake of it seems to be a method for the program maker to gain extra income.
Possibly I am an odd ball. I am the guy who doies not see the point in getting a new car just because it has a new reistration number (that is what happens in the UK) or new styling. If my car is reliable and economical why change???
PCSB does not support glass. So what? What do we use the program for??
I don't buy a new bible because it matches my suit or my wife's skirt!!!

Free upgrade? Just like Microsoft I suppose?     PCSB is not run by a charity as far as I am aware.

Rant over!!!

Yes it does concern me that support do not appear not to have an active official presence on the forum etc.

I suspect that the notification system to the administror is not working as it should be - that has happened in the past under both previous administrators.

God bless

JohnB

[lestasha]

I would be happy for speed improvements and bug fixes as well.  I just figured based on info from one of the previous forum administrators that the programmers had reached a point in which they would have to rewrite the base code in order for the program to be sped up.  But the fact is that this past week I found myself returning to the Biblesoft program because it does some things more easily than other programs do.

[markC]

I've emailed tech support about some questions on this forum and here is the response:

Is anyone @ PCSB monitoring the forums anymore? There are questions being asked with no one answering them.


** Answer **
We have a reduction in work-force and the forums are not receiving the level of attention they previously did. Most of our focus is on answering tech support tickets like this one. Be assured that the Forum has not been abandoned though.
** ** ** ** **


Also I want to know what the Biblesoft Authoring System is all about and how to use it? I can''t find anything on how to use it on your site? Is it still available??


** Answer **
Unfortunately, the Biblesoft Authoring System is not supported.
** ** ** ** **

[Joan]

Mark,

Thanks for sharing your experience with Biblesoft.  Frankly, the future looks bleak; what makes me say that is because no one from Biblesoft is challenging that type of statement with a positive expectation of growth.  What I hope happens is that at the very least, users will be able to continue to use the software "as is" and that Biblesoft can support any changes in Windows operating systems as they progress.

[JohnB]

Agreed.

Unfortunately they need `continuing sales to be able to fund any sort of work at all and our negative comments will reduce the the number of new people buying the program making our comments self fullfilling predictions

JohnB.

[Joan]

Agreed.

Unfortunately they need `continuing sales to be able to fund any sort of work at all and our negative comments will reduce the the number of new people buying the program making our comments self fullfilling predictions

JohnB.

John, It's not just honest comments by users but it's the absence of positive comments from Biblesoft that is significant.

[Old Sarge]

I am intrigued by this passion for a new version!
Upgrades to speed the program and to de-bug the existing one I can understand but upgrades for the sake of it seems to be a method for the program maker to gain extra income.
Possibly I am an odd ball. I am the guy who does not see the point in getting a new car just because it has a new reistration number (that is what happens in the UK) or new styling. If my car is reliable and economical why change???
PCSB does not support glass. So what? What do we use the program for??
I don't buy a new bible because it matches my suit or my wife's skirt!!!

Free upgrade? Just like Microsoft I suppose?     PCSB is not run by a charity as far as I am aware.

Rant over!!!

Yes it does concern me that support do not appear not to have an active official presence on the forum etc.

I suspect that the notification system to the administror is not working as it should be - that has happened in the past under both previous administrators.

God bless

JohnB

John, if you are an odd-ball, so am I.   I don't even use the current (5f) version of PC Study Bible to its potential.  There are books on here that I have never opened because of a lack of time.  I have a couple of (minor) concerns.  I don't like the fact it causes VISTA to revert to a basic color scheme but that isn't a major problem.  I hesitate to upgrade to WIN7 because I am not sure how compatible this program will be.

I, like you and most users, do have some issues with speed which, I believe, is directly related to the fact that this program has always been a resources hog.  That isn't something new, it was true as far back as version two or three.  And yet I have been using it for many years (not sure as far back as DOS but I know I have some 5.25" floppy discs from Biblesoft around here somewhere).  I like the interface the best of any Bible program I have used.  I don't want to change (I am old and a Baptist so you know I hate change) and have to learn a new program so as long as PC Study Bible can be of use to me I will stick with it.

[JohnB]

I am sad about lack of comment.

I am using Windows 7 with no problems other than altering security on a folder to be able to change my devotional. It seems to me that if you can get it going on Vista Win 7 is no problem.

God bless

JohnB

[lestasha]

I really don't think it would take a lot for Biblesoft to regain customer satisfaction and the grounding to be able to continue making sales and so brighten it's future.  The biggest thing I think they need to do is concentrate on making what they have work well.  The interface is unique among Bible software programs and very effective and therefore very "sellable".  For new users to Bible software it is probably the friendliest heavy weight Bible software out there.  For those who know other software it might take a little time to learn how to use it effectively, but when done I think it is probably the most powerful software availabe for researching a text or topic quickly and thoroughly. 

I've probably contributed to putting doubt in other folks minds about buying PC Study Bible by making mention of upgrading other programs instead of this one, so for that crowd and in response to John's comments about the harm such commments can cause let me say again that I do still use Biblesoft and have found myself returning to this program again and again.  I think the biggest reason is because of the fact that it links all it's resources together so well and makes them so easily accessible by comparison to other programs.  The other may be the ease by which parallel Bibles can be put up and used.

The past practice of putting out updates and new versions before they were ready has been the most frustrating thing, but it appears that is now a thing of the past so I'm holding out hope for future improvements to the program.  The other thing that can be a frustration still is the program's inability on older computers to scroll backwards in a Bible in short order (it takes 5-10 seconds to go back a page or two), but one can type in a new verse reference and the program goes to it speedily.  From there the user can scroll forward to the previous location with no problems. 

So, Biblesoft, let me cheer you on if there is indeed a good update coming in the future as the other thread is saying.  And for prospective buyers let me encourage you not to count Biblesoft out when considering the purchase of Bible software.

Les

[greglong]

I've upgraded from PCSB 3 to 4 to 5 and now have 5.1 professional library. I love the program and the features, but it's driving me crazy. It's crashing more and more, usually when I'm doing absolutely nothing in the program. And it's SLLLLOOOOOOOWWWWW. My computer is not new, but not that ancient either...Intel Pentium 4 2.8GHz with 1 GB RAM and Windows XP.

PLEASE, PCSB, release updates and improve the program! I've spent somewhere between $600-$1000 on your program (I forget how much exactly) and I really don't want to lose all of that!

[JohnB]

I would not automatically blame PCSB for the crashes. My personal experience is that Windows gradually slows down over time and becomes more unstable. The only cure is to fully reinstall Windows and the programs. Many professionals reinstall every year for that reason. At the moment on my XP system, my regular crashing program is Windows explorer. As I am in the middle of upgrading to Win7 on the same computer using a double boot I can't be bothered to reinstall XP. I did have a session of crashing PCSB last year but was able to go back to a system backup a month old and it has never reoccurred. Why did it start crashing? Who knows. One of life's little unsolved mysteries.

As to speed I doubt if BS will be able to incease speed significantly. You will not appreciate this comment, but I suspect that the only significant way will be by upgrading to a faster system. dual or quad core. I am not sure if increasing your RAM may help. If so it is a quick and relatively cheap upgrade. Perhaps someone who has tried it may be able to help ...  I presume that you have a few giggabytes of free space on your hard disk C drive?

God bless

JohnB

[greglong]

I would not automatically blame PCSB for the crashes. My personal experience is that Windows gradually slows down over time and becomes more unstable. The only cure is to fully reinstall Windows and the programs. Many professionals reinstall every year for that reason. At the moment on my XP system, my regular crashing program is Windows explorer. As I am in the middle of upgrading to Win7 on the same computer using a double boot I can't be bothered to reinstall XP. I did have a session of crashing PCSB last year but was able to go back to a system backup a month old and it has never reoccurred. Why did it start crashing? Who knows. One of life's little unsolved mysteries.

As to speed I doubt if BS will be able to incease speed significantly. You will not appreciate this comment, but I suspect that the only significant way will be by upgrading to a faster system. dual or quad core. I am not sure if increasing your RAM may help. If so it is a quick and relatively cheap upgrade. Perhaps someone who has tried it may be able to help ...  I presume that you have a few giggabytes of free space on your hard disk C drive?

God bless

JohnB

John,

I appreciate your perspective, but:

1. No other program on my machine crashes like PCSB.
2. Do you really think it's realistic to expect people to reinstall Windows every year, or even every few years?
3. If processor speed and/or RAM is the culprit, then PCSB needs to update their minimum requirements to reflect that. I am well above even the posted "recommended" requirements for v. 5, and I consider the program to be reaching the point of almost being unusable. BTW, I have 421 GB of free space on my hard drive.

[JohnB]

Free space on the hard disk is seldom a problem and not in your case as you realise.

>>Do you really think it's realistic to expect people to reinstall Windows every year, or even every few years?<<

I am quoting experienced experts in the use of windows, I did not originate the suggestions, just found it worked for me. Since you ask me my views for what they are worth, it depends on the system they use. If people installed Windows etc themselves or have a system where the proper installation disks were provided with the machine my answer is yes if people want a reliable system. If the only backup is on a special partition on the hard disk it is not realistic. But then I would not buy a machine like that unless I had no alternative.

I have my car serviced each year hoping that it will reduce the likelihood of it breaking down many miles from home. I can't do it myself so I have to pay out hard earned money to get it serviced. Why should I expect my computer to keep working for year after year with no spring clean given the treatment I give it? OK, when I get so fed up with it that I decide to re-install I can either set aside time to do it or I pay someone else to do it for me. Actually the easiest way is to do periodic backups of the whole system partition so you only have to restore an early backup and re-install programs installed after that backup was made.

To give you the view of experts talking about Windows on the subject of backups I quote from "Windows 7 Inside Out" pub by Microsoft Press :-
To paraphrase a popular bumper sticker from an earlier era, stuff happens. Although occurrences are far fewer with each new version of Windows, applications hang (stop responding) or crash (shut down unexpectedly). Once in a while, a feature of Windows walks off the job without warning. And on rare occasions, the grim BSOD (the “blue screen of death,” more formally known as a Stop error) arrives, bringing your whole system to a halt.
In a fully debugged, perfect world, such occurrences would never darken your computer screen. But you don’t live there, and neither do we. So the prudent course is to prepare for the unexpected—by making regular backups (including, if possible, a complete image backup of your system drive), letting the System Protection program create daily restore points, keeping Windows Update enabled, and learning to use the other tools that Windows provides for error diagnosis and recovery.


I did not get lots of crashes with PCSB in XP Pro – occasional ones when using for a while and actually running it. I do not recall any when not running. Some on this forum did get a few but not most. In other words it sounds as if you have problems with PCSB inter-reacting with something(s) also on your system. I should add that I carry a heavy load of reference works (over 4 Gb in my RefWorks folder).

1 Gb of RAM should be sufficient if you don’t run anything else at the same time or maybe one other program. If you run several at the same time you could try loading PCSB first (originally suggested by Kirt I think). Increasing the RAM to 2Gb might help with speed if you run several programs at the same time. It probably will not reduce the crashes but I am far from certain.

On the subject of minimum requirements for the program I will leave that to BibleSoft but if I had your system I would be as irritated as you by the slowness. It was only 18 months ago when I upgraded from a system very like yours.

God bless

JohnB

[mct2002]

Just wanted to chime in here briefly on the issue of computers running slow.  I'm running PCSB on Win 7 and  it works great - no complaints. 


For those who are having issues with their computer running slow, I'd like to suggest these steps --

Note: Be sure you have a backup of your data before starting.

1. What version of Windows are you running?  Be sure that you have the latest service pack, as well as any current updates for your machine.  This can be handled through automatic updates.  Likewise be sure you have the most recent version of IE.
2. Go to Control Panel and remove any programs that you're no longer using.  Also remove various add-on toolbars for your browser, as these items often will conflict and cause slowdowns.
3. Go to Accessories >> System Tools and run the Disk Cleanup tool.  Remove all unneeded files.
4. Have you done a Disk Defrag?  Likewise go to Accessories >> System Tools >> Disk Defragmenter.  I often find people haven't run this in months or years, and this helps a lot.  You may have to run it several times in a row if you haven't done this lately.
5. Do you have current anti-virus/spyware?  Some of these packages are pretty computer intensive.  My favorite is Microsoft's free anti-virus (for both personal and business) which you can find at www.microsoft.com/securityessentials.  Do not run multiple anti-virus packages -- just run one.  If it is a paid product, be sure you have a current subscription and that it is updating the anti-virus signatures.  Once you install Security Essentials, do a complete scan of your *entire* hard disk.
6. Do you have your software firewall active?  If not, be sure it is running.
7. Download the free version at www.malwarebytes.org and scan your *entire* disk.  This is great for finding rootkits and other assorted junk.  I'd run it until it shows a clean scan.

Just like your car needs periodic maintenance, so does your computer.  I work with and teach Windows professionally.  These steps will help many people get their computers running better again.

Steve

[greglong]

Steve,

Thanks, but I do all those things.

Greg

[TerryF]

@Greg,
Sorry you are experiencing slow program usage. PC Study Bible has never been known for speed, but it does run significantly faster on newer machines.

@all
I understand the frustration that has been building in this forum. I apologize for the lack of attention you have received. We have done some internal restructuring to ensure the continued release of a valuable Bible study product. Part of that restructuring meant the forums were neglected for a little while, but they are now being re-engaged. Thank you for your patience and to those who have remained positive.

To the comments about the lack of updates released- With the winds of change (Microsoft rapidly producing new OS's with new standards and the recession hitting the Seattle area) we have had a slow in production. Please, do not take this reduction in output to mean we crumbled. We are forging ahead on production of version 6. Tackling multiple feature requests, Windows 7 compatibility, speed issues, and other efforts to make PC Study Bible even better and easier to use. We anticipate a new release very soon. Thank you.

[greglong]

Thanks Terry!