[CS-FSLUG] Bible software for Windows

[Tim Young]

Well, I do not know the Zondervan people (I have connections to Tyndale House
and know their heart, they are some really neat people).  But I have rubbed
shoulders with a number of folks in the publishing business.  One of the
producers of the Bible on CD / tape, Hosanna (www.fcbh.org), sells their
products at a fairly steep price, but they do it to make money here in the USA
and give their product away freely in the third world.  It is an amazing
organization when you get to know it.  I worked with Hosana a few times, both
here in the USA and overseas.  We managed to convince a number of musicians to
give their products away overseas, though many do not actually own the rights
to their own music to be able to do so.

So until I actually drop in and visit Zondervan in person, I can't agree or
disagree that it is something with commercialistic warmongering.  :)  They had
a large number of people work on the NIV translation, and having a lot of
people can sometimes make pretty strange license agreements.  One school I am
familiar with had a donation years and years back that had written in the
fine-print that they would not have a co-ed swimming-pool.  They have kept that
promise (to someone I believe, long dead) even though a lot of people try to
push them towards building the swimming-pool.  Occasionally strange promises
are made that affect what we are able to do.

Anyway.  Like I said.  I cannot say one way or the other where the hearts of
the Zondervan people lie.  But I do know I don't have enough information to say
they are in the wrong for their decision not to make the NIV free.

	- Tim

David Aikema wrote:
> 
> Just because something is copyrighted doesn't mean that it can't be
> given away freely with the permission of the copyright holder(s) (eg.
> Linux).  So many Christian organizations today reek of commercialism.
> You can freely use a quality operating system, but when it comes down
> to God's word...
> 
> David
> 
> On Tue, 05 Oct 2004 08:50:36 -0500, Tim Young <tim.young at lightsys.org> wrote:
> > The NIV is still under copyright and so cannot be given away for free.  :(  Not
> > sure when the copyright expires, but it is not for a while yet.
> >
> >         - Tim Young
> 
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