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Remembering Microsoft Encarta: 1993 - 2009

by Tim Stevens on March 31, 2009 at 12:01 PM

Microsoft Encarta: 1993 - 2009The times they are a-changing, and so, too, are the encyclopedias. It wasn't that long ago that an encyclopedia set cost thousands of dollars and was delivered by a truck -- a big truck. Then, when the multimedia computer found its way into the home, the encyclopedia morphed into (relatively) cheap discs full of information, often given away for free with a new computer. Microsoft's Encarta was one of the most popular, but now it, too, is being put to rest, thanks to the latest generation of the encyclopedia: the online one.

Microsoft has confirmed that its electronic encyclopedia Encarta is closing up shop in the coming months. The U.S. version goes offline at the end of October, while the Japanese version will soldier on until the end of the year. Explaining its rationale for doing so, the company cites people seeking information "in considerably different ways than in years past," which, for the most part, we take to mean Wikipedia. The free online encyclopedia has taken the educational world by storm, and, while many have doubts, Wikipedia has shown to be just as reliable as Britannica, its main competition. We can't help but wonder if that centuries-old encyclopedic institution will be the next to fall. [From: MSN, Via: Ars Technica]

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Tags: encarta, encyclopedia, microsoft, microsoft encarta, MicrosoftEncarta, top, wikipedia

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