Twelve years and four jobs ago I was a computer software editor at Parsons Technology in Cedar Rapids. If you have been a computer user for the last two decades and like to buy cheap titles, you may have come across the Parsons name. The company, once owned by founder Bob Parsons, became a part of a larger software company, that was purchased by a still larger company, that was purchased by a big toy conglomerate .... The Parsons brand name may still exist somewhere, but the company died years ago.
I worked with a group of 25 or so people under the leadership of Craig Rairdin, creator of the original QuickVerse Bible software. By the time I came around in the mid-90s, the QuickVerse line of products had expanded from the original Windows-based search engine, to hundreds of add-ons. In fact, that was my job -- preparing text that had previously been published in traditional (paper) form for sale as a QuickVerse Library product add-on.
The company was unique for Cedar Rapids. The product was industry-leading. As detailed in paragraph one, both the company and QuickVerse (for all practical purposes) came to an end nearly 10 years ago.
Craig, my good friend Jeff Wheeler, and several others with Parsons' ties then went off and started their own Bible software company, Laridian. Their website can explain the product line better than I can -- I have fallen way behind the technology curve they write for. But essentially, they have created Bibles and related reference material for hand-held devices. Until today.
Today is a day of irony (irony to me, perhaps perfectly planned and executed by Craig and company) -- Laridian released its first Bible software for the computer. In a sense, Laridian has returned to its roots of 20 years ago. The marketplace is far more mature; the technology considerably more advanced. And I'm sure the Laridian folks would be quick to point out that PocketBible for Windows is not just a retread of QuickVerse. But to me, its one of those it's-a-small-world, full-circle things.
Well, anyway, congrats to my former workmates and friends at Laridian. Hope the new product sells well.
August 21, 2007
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