Out of the Box… or off the net
As the subtitle suggests, one can purchase and download any version of Logos 4 without the need for a physical DVD. As long as you keep good records, I suggest this route. Here’s a summary of my experience:
- I received an email from Logos directing me to download the installer (exe file).
- I began the installer.
- Next, windows had to download the .net framework (nearly 10 mins had elapsed thus far).
- A window appeared asking me to sign in or register. I signed in with my Logos info.
- Logos began to download the appropriate files for Logos Gold (7.9 GB)! This download took a little more than 3 hours. I averaged a download speed of approx. 730 kb/sec.
- It took about 25 more minutes to “prepare my library” (an automated process).
From the time I downloaded the installer file to the time I was running the Logos program, about 3.5 hrs had passed.
Indexing and Why I Don’t Mind the Wait
Indexing is the process whereby every word in your Logos 4 library is catalogued. The result is worth the 3 or 4 hours it takes! Once your resources are indexed, you can type a title, author, or some word you are looking for in the command line and you get immediate results. When the Logos folks say Logos 4 is faster, I think this is what they mean.
NB- Indexing improves speed, but Logos is a massive program and needy of your computer’s resources. If you’re on a slower computer, you probably won’t experience speed increases.
Personally, I didn’t mind the time it took to download and index. Of course, if you don’t have high-speed internet, this would be torture (perhaps impossible…get the DVD).
To be continued…
In the next part, I will address speed and performance by comparing such in two hardware configurations.
I installed 4.0 and the old version was still working. This is important. I installed 4.0 in the middle of my semester work, and I almost had a heart-attack that the interface was so different. I couldn’t navigate my Hebrew resources in the same way.
I assume 4.0 is better, but don’t expect to switch over like it is just another version. It is a complete rewrite of the user interface. All of my collections that I defined in 3.x are not in 4.0 in the same way. Everything is different. It is like learning a new program.
However, it supposedly is faster (though I never noticed any speed issues with the old version — as I am generally just messing around with a handful of resources (though I have hundreds installed). I will read your blog with interest if you can show us the great advantages of 4.0.
Having said all of this, I am using the switch in semester to try and learn this new software. I hope to be up and running with 4.0 by end of semester. It has taken me a long time to learn all the 3.x tricks and features, so I am not real happy to change. But that is the nature of technology.
On another note, 4.x will auto-update too. Like Windows installer. I like that, but I never know for sure what updated or why (i.e., what features I get and which I lost). I suspect 4.0 is going to be better. I will leave comments on your blog if I figure out how!
Again, the best part for me is that 3.x is still working just fine even after I installed 4.0. I love it that they did that. Smart move on their part.