You may have noticed the increasing popularity of Ubuntu as an alternative PC operating system to Windows. Ubuntu is a version of Linux, and is free, open-source software.
Ubuntu CE is based on standard Ubuntu, but includes a range of Christian software:
"Along with the standard Ubuntu applications, Ubuntu Christian Edition includes the best available Christian software. The latest release contains GnomeSword, BibleMemorizer, the e-Sword Installer with Module Manager, The Word Installer, Firefox Web Browser with Bible Fox Theme, and much more."
It is possible to install Ubuntu alongside Windows on the same machine. There are various ways of doing this: using virtualization software, burning a live CD, or using a Windows installer. A standard installation of Ubuntu can be converted to Ubuntu Christian Edition.
If you are doing any kind of Bible study, you will frequently come across Bible references, where you need to be able to look up the reference in the Bible and read the relevant verse. Bible programs can make this quicker, but you still have to type in the Bible reference in order to find the verse you are looking for.
To help with this situation, WORDsearch have created a free program called InstaVerse, which automatically reads any Bible reference you point at with your mouse, in any web page, or in an E-mail in Outlook, or in a Word document, and instantly displays that Bible verse on the screen. The verse can then be copied and pasted into any document. InstaVerse comes with the King James Version free, and for many people that will be all they need. Other Bible translations, and also the Greek and Hebrew can be bought to add this functionality to InstaVerse.
But what if you are using printed study materials? Well, in that case, it may be possible to use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software, such as OmniPage, TextBridge, Readiris or FineReader to scan the printed notes and turn them into an electronic document, which InstaVerse can recognise. That way, your computer will look up all your Bible references for you!
What if you are building web pages, and you want the verses to appear on the page when your readers point at the Bible references with their mouse? Well, you could encourage them to download InstaVerse, or you could also build tooltip Bible verses into the web page. For this you could use overLIB, a free JavaScript library for creating popup tooltip notes. You can use InstaVerse to find the Bible verses, and then paste them into the JavaScript code, to create your own instant tooltip Bible verses!
eBible is a Web 2.0 Bible site for studying the Bible. It includes a selection of reference tools, such as commentaries and Bible dictionaries. Bible verses can be bookmarked, and these bookmarks shared with the community. A toolbar is available, as well as widgets for your website or blog - see my eBible bookmarks opposite, for example.
I can recommend that you start using this site, as no other Bible study site matches eBible for Web 2.0 features, such as social bookmarking, combined with choice of study tools.
