Mobile Ministry Magazine

Wish that MMM could take credit for this line of thought, but really, this is where mobile and web are going. The idea is that the effects of mature networks and platforms are going to turn traditional models of software ownership on its head. Those companies who lead or adapt quickly to this trend will find the business side of the connected economy easier to deal with. Those who wish to lock people into the former model will have a harder time growing marketshare, and might find their content - while the same as a network/platform - diminished in value because it cannot be extended by the user or user communities to draw even more relevance and value from it.

Get your networks/platforms/apps ready, things are changing.

Labels: networking, open source, social networking, Web, web application

Just in case you've missed the posting over at Twitter, the chatter about developing an open source Bible reader for the newly announced Nokia N900 has started back up. Good comments in there, as well as some developers talking about what it would take to do so. Join the discussion, and maybe even assist in the effort.

And by the way of this discussion, if anyone knows of any open source (free or low-cost) multi-lingual dictionaries, please point out a few in the comments. There's a need for this for this Bible effort and other ministry efforts going on currently. Thanks in advance.

Labels: Bible, dictionary, Maemo, multi-lingual, N900, open source, software, twitter

In a conversation via Twitter (yes, I know that's a bit of an oxymoron) after yesterday's post, the idea that content needs to be independent was in some respects validated, but there's that aspect of publishers and developer rights that's rarely heard in this discussion. So I asked, what would this question of content independence look like if we didn't just say "we want it" but actually proposed a "how to do it?"

So let's try and answer that. And your feedback is key (especially those of you with some vested careers in this).

Here are some thoughts I have:

• Start with the content that is already within the domain of users (notes, bookmarks, etc.). This content should already be using an XML-based format that is readable in any Bible application regardless of platform (PC, mobile, Windows, Mac, Linux, etc.). This much should be done now. I'd say a commonly supported plugin that any Bible application can use that would unify formatting and content types would be enough for this.
• Concerning those newer translations which are already available in the public domain through publisher agreements (thinking ESV, NET, and a few others); where can open source developers and advocates join together in coding and marketing this raw content to whatsoever persons/orgs need it? In this way, we leverage open source not so much for the cost savings, but for the people-energy that it generates. Allow the push to use the software come from the grassroots angle (small groups, the pastorate, etc.) and then also the bigger angles (software and educational organizations banding together to promote code and/or study camps for example). Use that energy to create points of engagement and interest from those outside of those groups.
• Publishers have a vested interest in keeping their formats licensed, so how about instead of attaching the license to the Bibles, the license is attached to the user(s). Much like what some software companies do, publishers would allow a user or group of users to purchase a license which allows limited usage of that content; and a digital token is given that is simply asked to be reregistered a few times a year at no cost. Publishers get sales and metrics; people get content in as many ways as they can view it.

Those are some of my ideas. What about yours?

Labels: accessiblity, accountability, Bible, content, open source, software, tech

I've neglected to do this for some time, but here's a small attempt to rectify to those of you who have been using the Google Android operating system on the T-Mobile G1 (and soon to come other devices).

Here are a few Bible applications found:

• AcroBible for Android
• CadreBible

Please reference the Mobile Bible Downloads page which is updated with these and other Bibles for other mobile devices.

Labels: Android, Bible, open source, smartphone, software

The developers over at Palm Bible+ have been plenty busy over the holidays and have produced a release candidate for the next version of the free and popular Palm OS bible reader. Here's a summary of what's going into Bible+ 3.4

New Features Inculde:

• Night mode support. It has own set of colors in font preferences. Look for the additional row; use the shortcut 'i' to activate/desactivate; can be configured via Define Controls.
• Status Gadgets for Treos: Bluetooth, Signal bars and Battery.
• Keys with built-in function can be overridden.
• Memo Pad's category selection in Export personal notes.
• Bookmarks will try go to the current bookmark if any. If the bookmark is in a category other than the current category, select 'All'; close and reopen the bookmark form (if you are in Jhon 3:16 it will try to select that bookmark in the bookmark's list)
• When adding a bookmark it checks if already exist. If so it uses that bookmark. (You can not have two bookmarks for the same verse)
• Popup list when the stylus goes up after sometime.
• 5 way navigation support on Snapshot screen
• Treo 650/TX navigation support.
• Support Jog Up/Down/Back in Book/Chap/Verse choose
• Multi-book versions. Like commentaries.

Improved Features Inculde

• Snapshot's navigation
• Made fast search faster on devices with more free memory, especially ARM-based devices

Fixes Include

• Major search bug (the fast search on ARM systems would sometimes miss a number of hits)
• A problem with the built-in hi-res Hebrew font
• A little bug in the Search results
• Fatal error displaying a starting verse footnote when Equal-Width Verse Numbers and Minimize Space After Number are ticked in Options, Preferences, Layaout.
• Fatal error in Search's menu.
• Fatal error when the title was too long.
• When copying a verse more than one time.
• Some memory leaks
• Selecting a Bible for the upper/lower part when in the lower/upper part the selected book is not available
• Verse Chooser only goes to 219
• Choosing books in the row 12 when there are more books than can be displayed on one screen.
• Navigation in goto Chap/Verse

As you can see, this is a pretty through list of fixes. Download the Bible+ 3.4 Release Candidate. And make sure that you download a Bible (or two or a lot more) to read with it.

Labels: Bible+, free, open source, Palm OS, software

One of the better ideas to have come out of Web 2.0 thinking has been that of mashups. Essentially taking the raw data or content from various websites and putting (or aggregrating) it onto one page or site. This is pretty popular with services like MyYahoo, Delicious, and Jaiku. If you will, the information is still important, but like shopping, you only want to go to one place to get what you need.

The idea of mashups in the Body and with mobile technology can have exceptional significane if we start to think about content as silos of information, and devices/services as enablers to manage and get to that information.

This is a question being explored in part on a recent post at the Nokia Mobile Web Server blog, but also something that we talked about with the Bible Concept UI. The idea being that there's no need to keep reinventing the content. All that we need is already there, we just need to build a better funnel towards getting to what we need and do it in a way that fits us, not how publishers and manufacturers think we can do that.

Concerning issues such as dispersing announcements during service, studying the Bible, or even connecting in community, how do you think we can utilize the ideas of mashups to create avenues to engage Christ and communities in ways that maximize our time and abilities?

Labels: community, mobility, open source, software

Hope that most of you are having a good weekend and summer. I want to continue a bit on the subject of creating an ideal Bible reader by taking a look at a concept user interface (UI) that I created some days ago.

What you see here is a wireframe design of a UI for a touchscreen (PDA or Internet Tablet) or large screen (think laptop/desktop) computer. The the basic premise is that most of the time, we just want to read. But there are levels of interaction with the content that we'd like to explore, and thankfully, many in the Bible software and open source software communities have made available. This is just a more functional (and given some graphics, prettier) UI than what anything else offers that I've seen personally.

I got the idea of this from watching part two of Adaptive Path's series on the Aurora Concept. The Aurora Concept is a vision of UI and user experience (UX) web design that's projected for 5-7 years out. This takes into consideration only that the web is more ingrained into our lives, and that software works together with the live world around us to offer more compelling interactions with content and with one another. Simply speaking, I saw the video and it clicked.

My reasons are putting it out here (meaning the Internet) are many-fold. For one, I'd like to get some feedback for this kind of interface for a Bible reader. Many of you who read MMM are publishers, developers, and content creators/editors in the Christian space and therefore your input towards what might be missing or not clearly stated in these wireframes is very important.

To those of you who are academics, pastor-teachers, or just laypersons who like to read and study the Word electronically; this is an opportunity for your opinions to be heard given this skeleton of a mock up.

It is my hope that this can encourage us as a Body to start looking at the greater impact that the Internet has and will continue to have in the lives of those who utilize a much more connected and mobile paradigm of living than what humanity has had before. Yes, we can preach moderation and appropriate use, but we can also model usability that doesn't take away the older concepts of living, listening, and enjoying those quiet moments when we just need God and His Word.

Its not explicitly my hope for this to turn into an application. However, I have presented this to a few people and the response has been quiet encouraging that this is in line with what people are looking for. Having not the time to learn how to develop this, I'd probably be looking to the developer communities of various device operating systems to see if this can be turned into something that makes possible what I last spoke on - a common user experience framework, but designed within the scope of the system and the device.

The last thing that I'd like to state is this: this is by no means a project that a commerical entity should not be interested in. The feedback given on this Bible Reader Concept should be a help towards developing a more fluid system of reading and studying the Word given publisher and device constraints. After all, we are in this to help people read the Word more and see Christ interlaced into their lives. Demonstrating this literally in mobile software would be an excellent witness, wouldn't you agree?

Labels: Bible, community, Hardware, internet tablet, mobility, open source, reading, software, teaching, UI, UX

Now, I were mainly using a Tablet PC, this would be a great solution, and something that could make a solid inroad into using Libronix products for more than just study duty.

Tablet PC Extensions for Libronix is a custom toolbar that makes it easier to use right-click actions in situations where right-cliking might not be as possible - such as with using a TabletPC. Tablet PC Extensions for Libronix contacts a package called ALSTabletLink which does things like create an annotation input window by using a floating Tablet Input Panel and making the ability to make InkPad annotations to text.

This is considered Open Source software in order to comply with the license agreement of the embedded database used for InkPad storage.

There is a request to do two items if you find this software useful to you or others:

• Share it with someone else that may find it useful, and
• Consider making a donation to LDS Charities, or another Christian charity organization. Many hours of work have gone into developing this tool. You may repay that work by helping someone in need.

In my opinion, this is a very solid means to making inroads with using Open Source software with commercial products.

For more information, instructions to download and install, and to attain the source code, visit the Tablet PC Extensions for Libronix webpage.

Just a side note: if something like this could be extended to work with Rapier on the Internet Tablet, I'd certainely contribue to the effort.

Labels: extensions, Libronix, Logos, open source, software, tablet PC