Journal: Faith and Mission
Volume: FM 17:1 (Fall 1999)
Article: The Logos 2.1d Library System: Scholar’s Edition
Author: Edward D. Gravely

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FM 17:1 (Fall 1999) p. 9

The Logos 2.1d Library System:
Scholar’s Edition

Edward D. Gravely

Ph.D. Student in Biblical Studies
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
Wake Forest, North Carolina 27587

Logos 2. Id, according to their own documentation, is designed “to create a library system that is easy for the novice to use readily, yet powerful enough to meet the needs of the most advanced researcher.”1 While it does not quite live up to this lofty goal, it does prove to be a useful and powerful study tool. The various aspects of the software will be described below, and it will be graded based upon ease of use, clarity of written instructions, ease of installation, aesthetics, and overall appraisal.

Requirements

The manual, on page 22, lists the system requirements as follows: 486sx processor, 8 Mb of RAM (16 recommended), MS Windows 3.1 or later (requiring DOS 3.3 or higher), 15 Mb of hard-disk space, and a double-speed CD-ROM. For those of you to whom those numbers mean nothing, take heart. If your computer is running Windows 95 or 98 and has a CD-ROM, you meet all the requirements. The software was reviewed on a machine that would be considered low/average for retail, and the program performed well (I am running a home-grown Celeron 366, 64 Mb RAM, 5.1 Gb hard disk, 24x CD-ROM, 16 Mb Riva TNT Video Card, and Win 98). The books opened up almost instantly, and I had no problem doing multiple searches through many books (more than five at a time).

A word needs to be said at the outset about hard-disk space. The minimum listed in the manual is 15 Mb. This is just for the actual library software and does not include any of the actual books themselves. You are not required to install any of the books onto your hard disk; however, there are certain situations where this is very convenient and sometimes absolutely necessary. These situations will be discussed in detail later, but be prepared to use about 100 Mb of hard-disk space if you are using Logos 2.1d very heavily.

FM 17:1 (Fall 1999) p. 10

Unpacking and Installation

The package I was sent contained two books, the User’s Guide and the list of available titles, an oversized jewel case with four CDs, two loose sleeves with CDs in them (one was an interactive video tutorial and the other was the installation CD), and a “quick-start” guide. The four CDs in the jewel case were only numbered disk 1, disk 2, and so forth. The disk I discovered to be the installation and the main library disk had no label on it at all other than the big “Logos” logo. The demonstration disk was clearly marked.

The software is easy to install and this is accomplis...

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