25th Anniversary for Bible Software is Celebrated with New Release.

AUSTIN, Texas -- Bible Research Systems (BRS) today announced release 7 of Verse Search, the first Bible study software on the market, introduced in 1980. BRS received national media attention when they digitized the Bible text for use on personal computers, initially on the Apple IIe. Today, the real news is the accomplishment of delivering and supporting a software product for 25 years. "We are committed to our customers and maintaining the integrity of the Bible text," says Bert Brown, BRS partner.

Release 7 maintains the user interface that its customers are comfortable with, but has been re-built on a new platform that will allow customers to continue studying the Bible on the Microsoft Windows Vista operating system. Verse Search is available with 11 Bible translations and 35 study aids. The search logic has been improved to provide faster response time as well as changes to better serve the blind and visually impaired users. Margarite Brooks, a long-time customer, has been instrumental in helping other users, who are blind or visually impaired, benefit from Verse Search. "All of the BRS Bible study tools have been an invaluable resource to enable me to study the Bible," says Margarite. "I am able to go beyond just listening to a Bible recording to actually preparing in-depth Bible study lessons."

As the first company to place the Bible text on diskettes, BRS engineered a method of connecting an Apple IIe personal computer to a mainframe computer. They were able to transfer the Bible text from computer tapes, used by publishers of the printed Bible, to over 40 diskettes. Compression algorithms were developed to reduce the storage to 8 disks and search logic allowed users to search the entire Bible in one hour, a significant achievement in those days. Before IBM included hard drives in their PCs, BRS hired Michael Dell to install a hard drive in their computer. This allowed for new search techniques to search the entire Bible in seconds. Now, with faster computers and superior search technology, searching the Bible for anything is instantaneous.

BRS has customers who are still using their software since its introduction 25 years ago. Robert Colley, a preacher in Round Rock, TX, says, "I use Verse Search every week; it's a life saver. It helps me to study more and gain a deeper understanding of the Bible." Mr. Colley has been a customer for over 22 years and started on the TRS80 Model III.

BRS's web site/home page address: http://www.versesearcher.com

Verse Search is a trademark of Bible Research Systems, Inc.