maemo.org - Talk - Bible App for Maemo 5 Device(s)

maemo.org - Talk (https://talk.maemo.org/index.php)

- Applications (https://talk.maemo.org/forumdisplay.php?f=41)

- - Bible App for Maemo 5 Device(s) (https://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?t=31114)

Re: Bible App for Maemo 5 Device(s)

Just a note, biblegateway.com works great even on EDGE. The N900 browser lets you zoom right in on text, making it a pretty good e-book reader... Because the N900 is designed for always-on connectivity, web apps (especially text-based ones like this) are a reasonable solution...

Re: Bible App for Maemo 5 Device(s)

Quote:

Originally Posted by lschumanfcoe (Post 318358)

An application providing the ability to read and search within the Bible. Maybe with the opportunity to compare translations or research relevant topics?

I'm very interested! I would love to find out more.:D
website update

Re: Bible App for Maemo 5 Device(s)

Quote:

Originally Posted by doksng (Post 327077)

Can bibles from these sites be ported over to maemo 5. They bibles are based on linux

BibleTime

and

Xiphos

Both those pieces of software use the sword bible format which is supported currently by a piece of software called Rapier on the N8X0 series. The port of rapier should be fairly trivial.

Re: Bible App for Maemo 5 Device(s)

Quote:

Originally Posted by qole (Post 327081)

Nearly...

...got to love that beautiful church architecture that is great for speaking and signing, but does a number on a mobile signal unless there are repeaters in the mist (ba-da-bing).

Re: Bible App for Maemo 5 Device(s)

Jumping in here; I was alerted to this thread by a friend.

I'm very interested in developing a Bible reader based on Sword; it's actually a big reason that I'm planning to get an N900. I've got experience with C++/Qt on Linux, so hopefully the learning curve shouldn't be too great.

FWIW...

Re: Bible App for Maemo 5 Device(s)

Quote:

Originally Posted by joshn53 (Post 341356)

Sounds great, and thanks for stepping into the thread. There are many comments all over Maemo.org about bible apps and such. I'd recommend that you'd get acquainted with the Maemo 5 Human Interface Design specs so that you'd have a good idea of what you can do versus what's best practices to do.

After that, I'm sure that you'd have no shortage of help from graphic designers to beta testers. Again, looking forward to you (and others) working on this.

Re: Bible App for Maemo 5 Device(s)

Quote:

Originally Posted by joshn53 (Post 341356)

Talk about an answer to prayer! I emailed the deveoper who created Rapier today to ask whether he was planning to adapt it to n900 and he said no. I need something that will run offline as I work in a hospital (and live in a far flung corner where signal is... variable). No prospect of a Bible was getting close to being a deal-killer for me. And here, just a few hours later, are you!

I don't mind waiting a few months... my n95 has Olive Tree on it. But I'd be right beind you on this one.

(Dirty big grin at a posible solution to my problem! :D)

P.S. Happy to beta test if I end up with an n900.

Do you need a Maemo 5/N900 Bible app?

The Rapier Bible is the only app in the "Religion" section, and the maintainer is not going to update it for Fremantle/Maemo 5:

Quote:

Originally Posted by RevdKathy (Post 341350)

Case in point is that I really want to run a Bible programme that will be accesible offline. (I live in Cornwall, where signal isn't guaranteed and work in a hospital which is a no-gprs area). Rapier is apparently a tad challenging to get working but does the job... on the n800. The developer isn't planning to adapt it to the n900 - yes, I already asked him and he most politely replied.

There's an old discussion here of some alternatives, which consist of using an emulator to run some very sophisticated Palm readers, using the general ebook reader (FBReader), using some command line readers, etc. I think those are all still viable options, but not ideal for my particular use case.

i've been using a generic ebook reader for portable scripture access for years. While it works, it doesn't lend itself to adding annotations and marking up the text for future reference, especially not in a way that is likely to be retrievable in another few years. In the absence of any dedicated readers specifically for the new tablet/phone, i am interested in finally remedying the shortcoming of a generic reader. If i do make an app, it would be nice to make it useful to more than just me. I know some people want a concordance and multiple translations available, while for others like me the ability to annotate and highlight are the most important.

So, if you are someone who will, one way or another, be reading the Bible on your n900, please reply to report the following:

Is a generic ebook reader or browser sufficient for your needs?
Would an updated Rapier program be suitable?
Are any of the options in that thread i linked suitable?
If none of those options seem right, what features
- do you consider essential
- would be nice to have
- you don't really care about
and which version(s)/translations would you use

Obviously i can't promise to actually crank out an app, but knowing what the needs and demand are would help focus any effort i do have time to make. Thanks for your input.

Re: Do you need a Maemo 5/N900 Bible app?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flandry (Post 341792)

The Rapier Bible is the only app in the "Religion" section, and the maintainer is not going to update it for Fremantle/Maemo 5:

There's an old discussion here of some alternatives, which consist of using an emulator to run some very sophisticated Palm readers, using the general ebook reader (FBReader), using some command line readers, etc. I think those are all still viable options, but not ideal for my particular use case.

i've been using a generic ebook reader for portable scripture access for years. While it works, it doesn't lend itself to adding annotations and marking up the text for future reference, especially not in a way that is likely to be retrievable in another few years. In the absence of any dedicated readers specifically for the new tablet/phone, i am interested in finally remedying the shortcoming of a generic reader. If i do make an app, it would be nice to make it useful to more than just me. I know some people want a concordance and multiple translations available, while for others like me the ability to annotate and highlight are the most important.

So, if you are someone who will, one way or another, be reading the Bible on your n900, please reply to report the following:

Is a generic ebook reader or browser sufficient for your needs?
Would an updated Rapier program be suitable?
Are any of the options in that thread i linked suitable?
If none of those options seem right, what features
- do you consider essential
- would be nice to have
- you don't really care about
and which version(s)/translations would you use

Obviously i can't promise to actually crank out an app, but knowing what the needs and demand are would help focus any effort i do have time to make. Thanks for your input.

While I personally don't need a Bible app, have a hard time even understanding what a Bible app would do and am atheist... I know there's a lot of demand for this type of app, so please let me know if there's anything I can do to help.

Pretty sure Rapier should just run on the N900 anyways, unless the libraries are completely different this time around... it just won't have the Fremantle UI conventions.

Re: Do you need a Maemo 5/N900 Bible app?

Since Rapier's source is available, i think your best bet would be to ask nicely if someone else than the original author would adjust it for Fremantle. Shouldn't be too much work.

On a side note, i am really surprised how popular things like bible and quran apps are on high-tech devices... humanity still has a long, long way to go... ;)