Accordance on Linux possible work around.

[Pastor Jonathan]

I just discovered something that I want to share with everyone. 

 

I am new to this so if I am off, I look forward to a discussion or help. 

 

We know that Linux is not a major plan right now, if at all (probably web browser version first). 

 

However, I am trying out, on my laptop, a work around. 

 

I removed Windows off my laptop and installed Linux Mint. 

 

Then I installed a VM titled Virtual Box and from there installed my backup copy of MS Word into a sandbox. 

 

I put on a second screen and now have access to the Accordance and my Word document. 

 

I can seamlessly go from the Host to the VM and back without missing anything. The VM, with the network shut down will keep it isolated and the Accordance will work. Turn on Network only to get updates and use it for Linux! 

 

Thoughts? 

 

ETA: The word document is actually LibreOffice and runs on the Mint side while the Accordance side is still sandboxed. 

Edited April 8, 2021 by Pastor Jonathan
add another thought.

[R. Mansfield]

Using some kind of virtual machine install is probably the best Linux + Accordance solution for now. 

 

[Pastor Jonathan]

1 minute ago, R. Mansfield said:

Using some kind of virtual machine install is probably the best Linux + Accordance solution for now. 

 

Thank you. My concern was whether I could go between Mint and Windows and back or do I have to shut down one to open the other. 

 

Knowing now I can bounce back and forth and still maintain the strength of Linux and have Accordance and then just not run the VM when I don't want or need it...I am pretty happy about that for right now. 

 

Of course there is a lot about VM's I am unsure about so I am taking it one step at a time. 

[R. Mansfield]

Thanks for the info regardless, and please keep us up to date. While there's not currently enough Accordance users who also run Linux for us to justify a specific Linux build, there is enough interest for your posts to help others.

[Pastor Jonathan]

5 minutes ago, R. Mansfield said:

Thanks for the info regardless, and please keep us up to date. While there's not currently enough Accordance users who also run Linux for us to justify a specific Linux build, there is enough interest for your posts to help others.

You're welcome and of course! I am always glad to help. 

 

I do believe, if the desire, like mine, is to shut down the network on the VM, then subscribe to the update forum sub thread so you know when to turn back on the network. 

 

If I run across something else, I will keep posting. 

 

The only other thing, I can think of is that two screens make it so much easier to do this and also there are some views that make the screen blurry vs not. You may have to play with the settings and the view. Right now mine is set at full screen with the bottom control panel showing (not sure what that is called). 

 

ETA: Yes, I did read the other Linux threads and while I would love a stand alone Linux, this, as you said, may be the best for right now. 

Edited April 8, 2021 by Pastor Jonathan

[ScottDF]

@Pastor Jonathan, in VirtualBox, are you running Windows? If so, then for it to be a valid solution for the rest of us, we still would need a valid license to run Windows, even in a VM. Most of us who are looking for a LInux solution are looking for one free of the licensing restriction. Running a licensed copy of Windows in a virtual machine in 'seamless mode' does work, but it doesn't solve the biggest stumbling block most of us have in moving completely to Linux. 

[Pastor Jonathan]

1 minute ago, ScottDF said:

@Pastor Jonathan, in VirtualBox, are you running Windows? If so, then for it to be a valid solution for the rest of us, we still would need a valid license to run Windows, even in a VM. Most of us who are looking for a LInux solution are looking for one free of the licensing restriction. Running a licensed copy of Windows in a virtual machine in 'seamless mode' does work, but it doesn't solve the biggest stumbling block most of us have in moving completely to Linux. 

Agree. Yes. I am using MS 10. 

 

That would be an issue. I think my focus was to find a way to maintain the integrity of Linux and its privacy and yet still have Accordance. 

 

If you have a MS computer, you already have the Product #, all I did was just install using my old product #. So no money went to MS. You are using what you already have. 

 

I do understand though. 

[ScottDF]

Got it. If that works for you, great. But, if you run Windows, even in a VM, the privacy matters are still there, of course, not in the other activities you do on the computer, but in the portion of activities that involve the operations within the VM. But as I mentioned, if that is a workable solution for you, providing the degree of privacy you require, very cool. 

[Pastor Jonathan]

17 minutes ago, ScottDF said:

Got it. If that works for you, great. But, if you run Windows, even in a VM, the privacy matters are still there, of course, not in the other activities you do on the computer, but in the portion of activities that involve the operations within the VM. But as I mentioned, if that is a workable solution for you, providing the degree of privacy you require, very cool. 

Well, that is why I am posting this. I don't know what is and is not possible, or what can and can not happen in a VM. I am hoping to also learn as I go through this. 

[Pastor Jonathan]

I was doing some reading. Do you have to register MS on a Virtual Machine? I did, but I am wondering now if I needed to. I read somewhere you didn't have to. 

[ScottDF]

The nature of the internet is that you can read virtually any position. But the simple fact of the matter is that Windows is an operating system that requires a license. Huge numbers of server farms run with only virtual machines. Every one of those virtual machines Microsoft requires a license from.

[Pastor Jonathan]

15 minutes ago, ScottDF said:

The nature of the internet is that you can read virtually any position. But the simple fact of the matter is that Windows is an operating system that requires a license. Huge numbers of server farms run with only virtual machines. Every one of those virtual machines Microsoft requires a license from.

Ok. Thanks. 

[Pastor Jonathan]

As a continued work through, If you have a high number of volumes and resources, make sure you leave plenty of time to download. I have over 200 and I have only been able to get through around 120ish all this time so far. 

 

Now, granted, my computer I am working off of is older and the processor may not be the fastest, but just a heads up that this is not a two or three minute process. 

[Pat Smith]

For those of us who do not want to have any dealings with Microsoft due to privacy and security concerns, are there any other options for using Accordance with Linux?  I have just made the switch to Linux Mint.

 

 

Someone said in this forum that Accordance 10.4.5 works in Wine, but not 12 so much. I don't own 10, unfortunately. Accordance 12 and 13 are in my products page. 

 

Will it be possible to get version 10 somehow if the versions I have do not work?

[ScottDF]

V10 works, but not as well as you might hope. I work with Wine a few times a year but it's not yet a satisfactory solution.

 

[Pat Smith]

Do you recommend some other version than Accordance 10 with Wine?

Edited June 9, 2021 by Pat Smith

[ScottDF]

Sadly,no. I use Linux for reasons other than a dislike of Microsoft, but have not found anything than runs in anything close to satisfactory fashion.

[R. Mansfield]

17 minutes ago, Pat Smith said:

Will it be possible to get version 10 somehow if the versions I have do not work?

 

You can still download v. 10. It's a bit of a step back, though. I love Linux, but the reason it's never been my main OS is that I have a handful of essential programs that just won't work in it. 

[Pat Smith]

Just now, R. Mansfield said:

 

You can still download v. 10. It's a bit of a step back, though. I love Linux, but the reason it's never been my main OS is that I have a handful of essential programs that just won't work in it. 

I read on this forum that, while people were able to download v10, they were not able to use it because it wasn't in their products page. Is that an issue anymore?

[R. Mansfield]

8 minutes ago, Pat Smith said:

I read on this forum that, while people were able to download v10, they were not able to use it because it wasn't in their products page. Is that an issue anymore?

 

That I don't know. I imagine you could have sales add it to your account if it's not there. 

[Pat Smith]

1 minute ago, R. Mansfield said:

 

That I don't know. I imagine you could have sales add it to your account if it's not there. 

I just now tried v10, but my account authentication failed because v10 isn't in my products page. Earlier, I had already tried opening a chat to ask if v10 could be added to my account. They said they didn't have the authorization to do that. Is there a number I can call to talk directly to sales?

[R. Mansfield]

35 minutes ago, Pat Smith said:

Is there a number I can call to talk directly to sales?

 

(407) 339-5855. Feel free to drop my name.

[Pat Smith]

21 hours ago, R. Mansfield said:

 

(407) 339-5855. Feel free to drop my name.

Thank you!

[Pastor Jonathan]

Sorry or the late follow up. 

 

I got the VM installed. That was a bit of a hassel. However, I am finding that it is not real fast. 

 

Downloading a .8gb file takes 4 or 5 hrs...as long as I can sit there and keep it from sleeping. 

 

I have added all guest dependencies, made enough space and CPU, and adjusted a few other stuff. 

 

It may just be my hardware on my laptop. 

 

Once the app is up and running it is slower by a little. but all the functions are working. 

 

ETA: search functions and loading are slower and I have done all I could find to speed up the VM (using Virtual Box). 

 

If there is another faster vm program I can try, I would be willing. Thanks. 

Edited August 19, 2021 by Pastor Jonathan

[jstucki]

I believe I will soon be joining this community as a Linux user. I am also pursuing the VM route.

 

My interest is in the Hebrew Bible. Previously I have used Xiphos (which is a great solution on Linux for basic needs) I use the BHS apparatus the old fashioned way, from a book. But Xiphos has the Westminster Leningrad Codex with morphological tags and many English translations. Between it and Biblehub it will get you to a certain level. Accordance (and its competitors) really bring value with deeper study texts that are not available to open tools. For me it was HALOT and BHQ that made me decide it was time to look at some commercial software. For that it was a choice between Accordance and Logos. Logos at first seemed to have an edge for the Linux community as they have a very workable web app. But as I started poking around more it became clear that the resources I was interested in were not available in the web app at this time, so that advantage evaporated. Under Wine I can confirm as others have that Accordance 13 does not run properly. Black splash screens followed by a crash. I have tried many different configurations of Wine (and even Proton) now and I am very experienced with tweaking both Wine and Linux. I haven't bothered with Accordance 10 yet. My understanding is many newer modules will not run on it. However if it supports the features I need I may give it a whirl. Logos runs better under Wine and there is even a Github project that has an installer. It was truly tempting. But I really did not like the "feel" of Logos as a company and I have appreciated the focus on the text that Accordance provides. I would summarize my impression as Logos felt more like having someone accost me on the street to share their religion and Accordance felt more like a set of tools for a scholar who loves the text. The bridge too far for me was when I watched a few videos and realized that although they had chosen a very cool name for their company, they mispronounce it! I just had trouble taking it seriously after that.

 

I get ScottDF's concerns over privacy, but I am not overly concerned about Bill Gates looking over my shoulder while reading the Bible. It might do him some good.

 

For those who are going the VM route, be sure you have VT-x/AMD-V enabled both in your bios and your VM configuration. You also probably want to use KVM Paravirtualization. A VM can perform very well if you give it enough resources and enable acceleration. I have mine using 16 GB of Ram and 4 CPU. That is probably way more than needed. Accordance performs just fine (only using the lite version just now, but I doubt it matters).

 

As far as licencing requirements, I am going to suggest you do your own research there but Microsoft has changed quite a bit from its past. You can download ready to run VM images from Microsoft https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/downloads/virtual-machines/ There are limitations on certain cosmetic customizations you can make but otherwise they will run fine without limitations.

 

If setting up a performant VM is not for you, there is another option and that is to have someone else run the VM for you. You can with a fairly small monthly subscription get a VM from Amazon, Google, or Microsoft Azure, that will provide a fully licensed version of windows you can access over the internet and have it display locally on your linux system. This should allow you to run Accordance (or any other Windows software) just fine, even on a low end system. A decent internet connection is required. There are even several companies that are specializing in providing such systems usually with the focus of playing video games such as https://shadow.tech/ but these will generally run any Windows software with very good experience (although they recently doubled their price so it may not be the best option now). 

 

Anyway I hope that provides some useful information for the Linux community. I plan to test a bit more before dumping a bunch of money into purchases. I hope Accordance makes some real progress on both a web version as well as works with the community to at least get it working well under Wine.