Difference between revisions of "EnduserFAQ"

Revision as of 16:45, 25 June 2007

Public Community Forums and other places for help

CrossWire has public forums for our users to exchange tips and help each other. It is likely your question has been asked previously on our forums. You might even find some unexpected gems or post a few of your own: http://crosswire.org/forums

http://www.crosswire.org is our main page. Scroll down to see the list of software and links to their home pages. Many applications have their own support systems and FAQs.

We have a support mailing list, sword-support at crosswire.org. Other users can not see your question and answer it and users can not get benefit from previous answers. Therefore the forums are recommended. If you for some reason can not or do not want to use forums you can send private email to our support list. Whatever support tool you use, please read this FAQ and other documentation first.

End user FAQ

Here are some commonly asked questions about the CrossWire Bible Society and The SWORD Project and answers to them.

CrossWire is a non-commercial organization which produces Bible related Free Software. We have several software products. We also have numerous text modules (Bible translations, commentaries, lexicons, ...) which can be used with our software. All products are made by individual volunteers who may or may not know each other's work. Therefore it is important that you first know which product you have questions about. Then you can select the category and question below. If your question is not answered here and you have to ask us directly, please attach as much information about your problem as possible, especially about the product you are using. Considering the volume of mail we receive daily and the few workers we have to answer support emails, vague email and email that asks questions clearly answered on this page are likely to go unanswered.

Questions about text modules

Do you or will you have NIV/NASB/NLT/Message/NKJV/other translation?

NASB is under work and will be sold commercially by the publishing company. Most other copyright holders, including the publisher of the NIV, have not been interested in publishing their material in our format even when they could get money out of it. Strange world, isn't it?

Some people recommend using a couple of good modern freely available translations instead. The ESV and NET are both high quality.

The ESV is a word-for-word "essentially literal" translation which continues the KJV legacy but is based on modern textual criticism. It is freely downloadable from our repositories.

The NET uses more dynamic equivalence principle and is downloadable from bible.org in either a free (with registration) version containing limited notes or a premium ($20) version with the full NET translation note set.

What happened to the Portuguese module?

It was removed because it was not what it claimed to be and had errors. Negotiations are underway to provide another translation.

Why does the Swahili module omit Philippians?

RESPONSE REQUIRED.

Where are the deuterocanonical books and the apocrypha?

Sword does not currently support any books other than the 66 OT/NT protocanonical books. The reason is technical, not theological. The SWORD Project is ecumenical, benefiting from the labor of workers from a broad gamut of Christian churches. Work is currently underway to support a broader canon.

How do I convert e-Sword modules to Sword modules?

The SWORD Project does not support the conversion of texts from other Bible software vendors.

I have purchased and lost a key to a locked module. Can you tell me what it is?

The SWORD Project does not sell or handle locked module keys. You should contact the module vendor for help in this matter.

My Personal module shows some strange text, why?

For a while, there was a bug in the configuration file (mods.d\personal.conf) of the Personal module. You can download and re-install the latest version but you will lose any personal notes you have made. Alternatively, you can just replace the configuration file with the new one or open it in any text editor to remove the line reading "SourceType=ThML".

Questions about what we do for free or for money

Would you send me free Bibles or other material?

It is very unfortunate that some web sites have "information" according to which we are able to help you get free material. That is not true. There is no money involved in our work and we handle only electronic material. All our products are freely downloadable on our web site (or their own web sites) and that is all we do.

Can I donate to your ministry?

While we appreciate offers of donations, the SWORD Project does not solicit or accept such offers. We have been blessed already by the donation of those resources which we do use. If you feel the need to donate to ministry outside your local church, you might consider Compassion International, Habitat for Humanity, Wycliffe Bible Translators, or Christian Classics Ethereal Library.

Would you donate to my ministry?

As our project does not solicit or accept donations and does not itself produce any profit, we do not have monetary or other resources to offer to other ministries either (besides downloadable resources).

Can I sell advertising on your website?

No, we do not allow advertising on our website, as you might have noticed.

Will you allow me to link to your website on my website in exchange for linking mine on yours?

You may link to our website, including to our BibleTool. However, we do not do link exchanges.

Where's my CD?

• NEEDS ATTENTION*

Questions about our software

If you don't find an answer to your question here and want to ask directly, PLEASE TELL US WHAT SOFTWARE YOU ARE USING. There are many products related to CrossWire. The most common is The Sword Project for Windows. It's extremely difficult to answer a question like "I'm trying to open a Bible but it doesn't work" if we don't even know which application you are using. It also helps if you attach as much exact information about your problem as possible, like "After I have opened the program I select action A from the menu and click button B, but it does nothing". NOT something like "I can't do C".

Many problems are due to outdated software or text modules. Please check first which version you are running. Notice also your operating system and version.

How do I uninstall?

The SWORD Project for Windows has an uninstaller which should be in the same place as the program. You can also just delete the folder and possible menu entries.

Is it possible to install The SWORD Project for Windows and text modules on a USB disk/stick (or some other place)?

The SWORD Project for Windows is entirely installed under one folder, including the modules. You can copy it anywhere as it is and run the program from there. You can even move the folder from one computer to another or to a networked drive.

When I read the Syriac Peshitta, Hebrew Bible, or (another module), all I see are boxes?

You need to install a Unicode font with the full range of characters used in the module you are trying to read.

I love your Bible Tool. May I install it on my church's website?

Yes.

Do you have a Sword program for my phone? my pda? my handheld?

Maybe.

I've found a bug. How do I report it?

Use the bug reporting facilities of the project you are using.

Why doesn't your program do such and so? I'd like it to do it. It should to be competitive.

Yes, it would be nice, but this is volunteer based project and we do this in our free time. Help if you can and give feedback but don't complain too much. The best you can do is pray for us.

How do I do something in MacSword? BibleTime? GnomeSword? BibleDesktop? The SWORD Project for Windows?

Please read the attached documentation and other supporting material of the project you are using. Many problems will be solved by reading the documentation. After that use the support forum/list/pages of that project. After that you can ask your question in our forum or our support list.

Somebody sells your software in net, is it right?

It's not forbidden to sell Free Software. However, according to licence the source code must be included. Some people also sell free software without revealing that it is also available for free, and we do not condone such action.