The SWORD Project

Purpose Statement

In short, the SWORD Project is an effort to create a software platform for research and study of God and His Word. The open source model is the basis of development, maximizing the rapid growth and features of this project by leveraging the contributions of many developers. Components of the project include all types of Biblical texts and helps, a portable, platform-agnostic engine to access them, and a variety of front ends to bring this to as many users as possible.

What is open source software?

Open source software, as defined by the Open Source Definition, is software under a license that permits free distribution, requires inclusion of source code, and permits creation of derivative works. The SWORD Project is licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL), an open source license approved by the Open Source Initiative (OSI). When software source is licensed under the GPL license, its source code must be available as well, so that any user of the product can alter it, recompile it, and reconfigure it. But any changes, fixes, or upgrades that are made to that source code must be made available to the public in source code form. Anyone who buys the product is free to recopy, alter, or redistribute the product as well, so long as the GPL is followed. With God's blessing, this project will incorporate the talents of all developers wishing to contribute their skills in the development of a software utility that will enable all people to come to a fuller understanding of God's Word and Will.

So who is the leader of the SWORD Project?

There are many modularized components of this project, each with their own leaders. Each leader is free to take the direction that they see fit to accomplish their goals, being held accountable only to fellow developers, users, and of course God. This is a collaboration of the masses—many parts of the Body working together for a common purpose. Our hope is that God, through the Holy Spirit, is ultimately the leader of the SWORD Project and each of its subprojects.