Customize your Bible software with add-on modules
PC Study Bible is a comprehensive Biblical reference program containing different versions of the Bible with various dictionaries and concordances.
From the program's main menu you can easily move to a dictionary, index or concordance. In addition, add-on reference modules can be accessed by a hotkey combination. One of the PC Study Bible's greatest strengths is that almost all of the features of the program are in the form of add-on modules that can be added or removed at will. Examples include:
Configuring your HP Palmtop to run PC Study Bible
I have my system set up as follows:
cd\bible30
bible30
assign c:=a:
c:
Pressing (ON)-(/) makes the text read black on white instead of white on black which can be helpful on some of the screens.
[Editor's note: ASSIGN and Stacker or DoubleFlash do not work correctly together. Users with these will have to find a DOS 5.0 version of SUBST.EXE.]
Features, options, and Palmtop concessions
I'll give you the bad news first - the program is no speed demon on an XT-class machine like the Palmtop. On my desktop 486, it is super fast, but on the Palmtop it can be painfully slow. The program allows you to open multiple windows to view or work with several items at once (the same verse in two different Bible versions can be put side-by-side, for example), but the keyboard commands to re-size and move the windows are cumbersome.
Split Screen View In PC Bible: Graphic
However, switching between, and maximizing the size of the windows are simple affairs. This is often all you need. The windowing capability, by the way, is also one of the greatest strengths of PC Study Bible, and its usefulness should not be underestimated.
The program is not System Manager compliant, and requires more base memory for its multiple windows than can be achieved while System Manager is running. Therefore, you must exit System Manager completely to use the program. (To exit System Manager, from AppManager, press (MENU) Application Terminate All... (ENTER). To return to System Manager from DOS: on the 100LX, type 100 press (ENTER); on the 200LX, type 200 press (ENTER)). The program comes on floppies. Installation is most easily achieved by installing the program modules you want on a desktop PC and copying them to a Flashcard.
On the positive side, while reading a particular verse, the add-on reference modules can be accessed, in context, with just an ALT keystroke. For example, while on John 3:16, pressing (ALT)-(S) will bring up that verse in the Strong's dictionary, and (ALT)-(D) will bring up Nelson's dictionary with topics of Birth, Love, and Forgiveness (among others).
Strong's Greek/Hebrew Dictionary: Graphic
You can also "chain" them. For example, you can search the concordance for the word "coming", call up Strong's to get the specific Greek/Hebrew term (from among the words that are translated as "coming"), then use Englishman's to find the verses with that specific Greek/Hebrew term. There is a rudimentary notebook editor included, to which you can paste individual verses or entire books. I recommend doing rough drafts in the editor, then copying to a more robust program for editing.
Don't ignore the desktop!
PC Study Bible is wonderful on a desktop. It's quick, though it lacks the graphic pizzazz that make some programs much richer. It also comes in a Windows version which retains much of the structure of the DOS version. Having a mouse makes dealing with the windows a breeze.
Go your way, Daniel...
This is a great program that works very well with the HP 100/200LX. Having the PC Study Bible with me has enabled me to study the Bible at times when it would have been impossible or greatly inconvenient before -- to find that elusive verse that I couldn't quite remember, to finish the chapter I was reading before I left for work, and to enjoy some time in God's word.