Install Gospel Library on Mac using Crossover

I want to install Gospel Library for Windows 10 on my Macbook Air. I use Crossover to install Windows apps on the Mac, and it works for lots of apps. All I need is the installer file -- the file you usually download from some app vendor ("installer.exe" or whatever). But as far as I can tell, Gospel Library is only available on the Windows Store, and I can't find a way to download a stand-alone installer file, so that I can access it from Crossover on my Mac. Any ideas where to find a Gospel Library installer file?

You will not find an installer for the "Gospel Library app" for Windows 10. Perhaps you are thinking of a program installer that was common in earlier version of Windows. With Windows 10, you can install apps via the store or download programs (the old fashion way.) You may need a different program on your Mac book air like Parallels : http://www.parallels.com/products/desktop/ to run a full Windows 10 OS on your Mac. Use the Windows store to get the Universal Windows Platform (UWP) app version of the Gospel Library app that will work on any Windows 10 device (phone, tablet, 2-1s , convertibles, standard laptop, desktop for example.) You can also get the basic LDS tools app through the Windows store as well.

So are you saying I will not be able to download a stand-alone installer file for Gospel Library? I won't want to install Parallels on my Mac -- Crossover works fine. I'll just use the browser version to read my scriptures. But it's too bad Windows has prevented the old way of installing programs. I suppose it's a security improvement, but it comes at a cost of flexibility. I was just hoping that there was an ftp site where I might find an old-style installer for Gospel Library. Guess not.

Thanks for the reply,
Tom

Hi Tom,

What do you mean by "flexibility" ? The Windows 10 app version allows for offline use and syncing across your other devices including android and iDevices. If there was an old style program, (that could technical run on Windows 10 desktop/laptop there might be a lot of dependencies (certain versions of flash, java, etc) needed to make it work properly that might have to be updated manually all the time. The Windows 10 Universal app version is much easier to keep current and up to date. Unfortunately the Mac App store (on Macs) and the iOS (iDevices like the iPad) app store are the not the same. Hope that helps.

Thanks -- I know about syncing between platforms, etc. The problem I'm facing is that I can't find a downloadable installer file (like "installer.exe"). That's what I need in order to install the program on my Mac, under the Crossover environment. Using Crossover, I have installed Quicken, Roots Magic, and a few other Windows apps from their Windows installer files, and they work fine. (Crossover supplies the Windows dependencies, libraries, .NET, etc.) But it looks like with Windows 10 you can't find the stand-alone installer file for an application. That's what I'm looking for, but it's not looking good. I had hoped the Church might have an ftp site with a stand-alone installer file, like the good old days.

trohlfing,

Gospel Library for Windows is an app, rather than a program. While program packages are typically distributed with .exe or .msi installers, apps are designed to be run on mobile devices first, desktops and laptops second. Indeed, that Gospel Library exists on Windows at all is a result of Microsoft's mobile app strategy for universal Windows applications on Windows Phone 8.1 and Windows 8.1. Applications use an .appx package and are managed through the Windows Store, where mobile users and desktop users alike can install the application. Gospel Library for Windows relies on app technologies unique to Windows 8.1 and higher and will not run on incompatible systems.

Hi, I'm sorry to just jump on this forum. I'm not a power forum user. I have a Mac, iPad and iPhone and am highly dependent on Gospel Library. I just purchased a MacBook Pro and was hoping to amp up my gospel study with it, but am struggling to figure out how to install it on my new machine. I can't seem to find a lot of info on it which suggests its easier than I'm making it. Please advise. I have used crossover on my desktop Mac to work with roots magic, but it was a little clunky and I'm not super anxious to partition my hard drive, but I'll do what needs to be done. Thanks

Gospel Library is an app, not a program. So it will run on your mobile devices (iPad, iPhone), but not on your Mac.

You may have heard it was possible from the Windows folks. Apparently the same operating system used by the Windows phone also runs Windows 8 and 8.1, so they are able to run the app on their Windows 8.x computers.

I was looking for a Gospel Library app for MacOS and before realizing that there isn't any, I got into this thread. Just to clarify on the subject, Windows Store Apps (officially called Universal Windows Platform - UWP - apps) are fundamentally different than traditional Win32 .exe applications. Crossover is based on Wine, an open source project that provides a windows layer to Unix systems. There is currently no support on Wine for UWP apps. Although there shouldn't be anything preventing Wine / Crossover developers from implementing the new UWP / WinRT APIs, given the fact that UWP are fundamentally different in the way they are created, installed and ran, it might be a big challenge to add support for UWPs on Wine. For future reference, Apple seems to be trying to combine their environment the same way Microsoft did with Windows. The new version of macOS seems to have some compatibility with iOS apps. We might see an integration of both worlds in the future.

in other words no

Well, no is pretty definitive...seems like there may be a way to do it. Here is how I use Gospel Library for Windows on my Mac and on my iPad. I have it installed on a Windows Desktop machine at my home and then I remote desktop into it. Seems to work pretty well for my needs.

If you want to try a side-load installer for it, I can try to help you out, but it is a UWP application installer, not a traditional .msi or .exe . Ping me, or send a request to GospelLibrary-Win@ChurchofJesusChrist.org and we can try some experiments if you are willing to give it a go.

Thanks,
Tony