STEP Library
STEP (Standard Template for Electronic Publishing) is a standard file format used to electronically distribute Bible text. STEP was conceived in 1995[1] by Craig Rairdin of Parsons Technology and Jim VanDuzer of Loizeaux Brothers Publishers as a way for Bible reference books to be distributed electronically in a format that would be compatible with more than just one company's Bible software. Rairdin and VanDuzer formed a consortium of Bible software publishers called the Bible Software Industry Standards Group (BSISG) to oversee the development of the STEP specification and to develop common tools to be used by developers and publishers interested in implementing STEP compatibility in their programs or publishing books in the STEP format.
The STEP logo was originally a trademark of Parsons Technology, Inc., now of FindEx, Inc., the current publisher of QuickVerse Bible Software.
The format uses "Microsoft’s Rich Text Format (RTF) with special STEP tags added"[2].
While not open format, the availability for outside licensing and publishing makes it similar to the The Libronix Digital Library and the Pradis systems, especially for users of religious software who want seamless integration of various reference works, using one application to access and cross-reference them all.
Examples
Examples of Study Bible software libraries that can read STEP modules include e-Sword, and late 1990's versions of Zondervan and Parsons Technology Bible software.
References
- ^ "The Next STEP in Bible". The Digital World. 2000-07-25. Retrieved 2007-01-03.
Created by several of the leading Bible software companies in 1995
- ^ "Standard Template for Electronic Publishing v1.1" (Microsoft Word 97 DOC file). Bible Software Industry Standards Group. 1999-06-05. pp. pg 4. Retrieved 2007-01-03.
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