Logos 4

Logos has put out a new version of their software, and they’ve added two new packages to their line-up. I’m hoping that the new engine will be faster and slicker than the old. It appears from the promo video that this is so!

But my advice to potential buyers comes in two steps, following an outline suggested by Neil Postman:

1. Logos Gives: Know what you’re buying before you buy it: get with someone who really knows books and add up the monetary print value of the good ones you will actually use. Then figure in the additional value of portability, searchability, and the excellent tagging and indexing Logos books include. Also note the exciting news that some of your Logos books will be available on your iPhone or iPod Touch. More on that in future posts…
2. Logos Takes Away: Newer doesn’t mean better. For every minute technology saves you from looking up words in Strong’s Concordance, it can waste several minutes by distracting you and scattering your thoughts. The more Logos books you have, the greater number of search hits you’ll get while studying. If you do not have Spirit-filled self-control and a good understanding of which books in your library are worth looking at, you may end up wasting your morning devotional time reading random book reviews from 1989. This isn’t Logos’ fault; but figure it into your planning. Using physical commentaries may be better for you if it helps you stay on track.

A final piece of advice: Logos and Accordance are the only Bible software companies I know of that are attempting to put out real quality books for the trained exegete (BibleWorks is, too, but it’s not mainly an electronic library). But that doesn’t mean all the books in every package will be useful to you. Don’t be wowed by quantity; instead carefully evaluate quality.