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Two of the Classic applications I still use routinely in OS X Classic Mode are Holy Mac Software’s venerable Bible software program BibleViewer (The World English Bible and KJV versions available). While there are plenty of other Bible applications with deeper feature sets, including Accordance, which enjoys about 45% of the market according to a Christian Mac User Group survey, Online Bible -- another heavy hitter with about 25% usage, and iBible among others, I find that BibleViewer fits my needs and tastes nicely, with lightning speed and very nice search and navigation capabilities. However, BibleViewer is not OS X native, and if I’m to achieve my ultimate goal of working completely in OS X software, I need to find a native Bible software alternative. One candidate is MacSword, a new, freeware & open-source Bible research and study application developed specifically for Macintosh computers running Mac OS X. 
And because MacSword is based on the Sword project, it is compatible with a growing collection of over 200 texts available in over 50 languages, including many different Bible translations in languages from Hebrew to Albanian, as well as reading devotionals, commentaries, dictionaries and lexicons which can be downloaded and added as module plugins, MacSword also supports searching and advanced features such as services so that you can access the Bible in any program. There are over 200 modules in 50 languages that are all available from the Crosswire Bible Society. Including bibles, commentaries, lexicons, dictionaries and devotionals. You can get modules from http://www.crosswire.org/sword/modules/. The default module location is in a “Modules” folder in the same place as the application. You can change where MacSword looks for them in the preferences. To install modules just place the uncompressed module folder (eg. “KJV Folder”) in the same folder as all your other modules. Module add-ins allow you to expand the functionality and your library of resources for your Sword-based software. The Sword Project is an effort to create a software platform for research and study of God and His Word. The open source model is the basis of development, maximizing the rapid growth and features of this project by leveraging the contributions of many developers. Components of the project include all types of Biblical texts and helps, a portable, plaform-agnostic engine to access them, and a variety of front ends to bring this to as many users as possible. The Sword Project is licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL), an open source license approved by the Open Source Initiative (OSI). When software source is licensed under the GPL license, its source code must be available as well, so that any user of the product can alter it, recompile it, and reconfigure it. But any changes, fixes, or upgrades that are made to that source code must be made available to the public in source code form. Anyone who buys the product is free to recopy, alter, or redistribute the product as well, so long as the GPL is followed. As noted there are a wide variety of Sword modules, including some two dozen different English language Bible or New Testament translations. The version of MacSword that I downloaded included a King James Version module. One caveat is that most of the recent translations are not in the public domain, so while the modules exist, they are not available for public download. Sword notes: From my perspective, this restriction is no tragedy. I dislike most of the recent translations, and the excellent Revised Standard Version of 1952 (far superior to the more recent, politically -corrected New Revised Standard Version - NRSV) is available for free for those who want a modern English usage version. I’m partial to the KJV for its majestic cadences and the familiarity of its syntax and phrasing when I’m looking stuff up, although I also use several more recent versions for study, including the RSV, the American Standard Version of 1901 (also free from Sword), and the New King James Version (not free). Bible text modules that are available for download include: Downloadable Bible Commentaries include: SWORD Module Add-ins also include: MacSword suits my tastes in Bible software very nicely, being small, fast, and not overburdened with features. 
A floater window allows you to select among modules stores in the program’s Modules” folder: In the KJV version I tested, it includes the ability to display Bible text contiguously with verse references interpolated:
With each verse displayed individually: 
Or with verse references omitted: 
And with the words of Christ highlighted in red: 
There are two Cocoa drawers, toggled from the toolbar, one for Bookmark references: 
And another for History: 
There is also a “Find” function, which was the only thing I found to complain about in MacSword, to wit: it is as slow as cold molasses running uphill in the winter -- an unhappy contrast to the virtually instantaneous response of the search engines in my old BibleBrowser and BibleViewer programs, in which searches are also much more customizable and configurable than in MacSword. 
However, I found navigation in MacSword to be slick and convenient using the pull-down menus in the user interface window. I don't think I will be abandoning BibleViewer quite yet, but I look forward to the future development of MacSword, in hope that the search function can be speeded up and enhanced somewhat. The basics are there and solid. This is a super application with lots of great potential. MacSword version 3.0 has many improvements over previous versions, including bookmarks and German-language support: System requirements: MacSword is freeware For more information, visit: Panther Unleashed From David Chilstrom With every OS upgrade there is the inevitable outcry of “How come it’s not free to me?” As for the favorable “discrimination” towards G5 purchasers over new PowerBook owners, I suspect that Panther has G5 specific improvements that will especially benefit users of that class of machines and that in many ways Panther was developed with an eye towards the G5. Nevertheless, I agree with the sentiment that folks who have bought into the latest round of “Power” macs should get a break on Panther. That’s still being elitist, but the argument is that those who are early adopters of a new platform should get some acknowledgment for being on the bleeding edge. I’d encourage any purchasers of the latest PowerBooks to ask for the G5 deal anyway. While you are withholding judgment about the usefulness of the sidebar which appears in the Finder and file dialogs, it can easily be dismissed or minimized to an icon only view. Still, I’m dumbfounded as to why having your most used folders a single click away in the Finder and file dialogs is a bad thing. While having a favorites menu is a much more compact means of providing quick access, it suffers from its very virtue of minimal visibility. I don’t use my favorites menu enough because I often forget what I’ve put in there. Panther’s sidebar eliminates any ambiguity by leaving your favorites in plain sight and providing the simple mechanism of dragging to or away from the sidebar to manage those items. Apple is clearly going towards making heretofore hidden features of the OS optionally visible with the addition of the path widget in the Finder toolbar and Panther’s Action widget to display contextual menus in the Finder. Users who prefer to keep the interface as spartan as possible with hidden features can have it that way and users, like me, who prefer a visual reminder can have that too. As for a Finder that’s “six times faster”, I think that is in reference to the search as you type feature. I’m really looking forward to this as I have a strong aversion to dealing with searches through an external dialog window. The search field in Jaguar’s Finder is kind of nice, but Panther improves on it by instantly showing results as you type and providing a pop-down menu in the field where you can set the search scope. Exposé looks to be a much more powerful form of window management than any minimizing scheme. While I may continue to minimize windows for awhile out of habit, I think that Exposé can eliminate the need entirely. OS X’s minimize to the Dock replaced the Classic Windowshade with an arguably inferior solution. Exposé trumps them both handily. There’s a lot of other good stuff I’m looking forward to. I have a few thousand fonts, so Font Book will be nice for that. I work with PDFs all the time, so Preview’s much increased speed, search capability and text selection are most welcome. While I’ve never felt speed challenged under OS X, I’m looking forward to whatever speed boosts the cat has to offer. I’ve used Mail from day one and it just keeps getting better. Even as a solitary user I would use OS X’s account feature often, but it’s been too much hassle to bother with. Panther’s fast user switching will change all that. And, I fully expect to discover many little Panther gems for months to come. It’s a great update. While I feel the pain of those who bought a Paris PowerBook , only to be looking at forking over another $129 a month later for Panther, this one is worth it. Regards, Hi David; When I said I was “witholding judgment,” I didnlt mean to imply any negative bias. I just find that I have to work with features like that for a while before I can ascertain how well I will like them. For example, I approached the Dock wit an open mind, but I haven’t warmed to it. OTOH, I’m quite comfortable now with most other aspects of the Jaguar Finder interface. As for the update discrimination, it is just dreadful PR. Some of the new PowerBooks cost significanlty more than some of the new G5s. Could not the bright lights at Apple recognize up front that giving one class of buyer preferential treatment would leave a sour taste? There has to be a cutoff of course, but it should be uniform across the board. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Charles
The OS X Odyssey archives may be accessed here: Note: Letters to Moore's Mailbag may or may not be published at the editor's discretion. Correspondents' email addresses will NOT be published unless the correspondent specifically requests publication. Letters may be edited for length and/or context. Opinions expressed in postings to Moore's MailBag are those of the respective correspondents and not necessarily shared or endorsed by the Editor and/or Applelinks management. If you would prefer that your message not appear in Moore's Mailbag, we would still like to hear from you. Just clearly mark your message "NOT FOR PUBLICATION," and it will not be published. CM
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