Microsoft Encarta Dies After Long Battle With Wikipedia

Now Encarta itself has fallen victim to changes in technology, made all but obsolete by the likes of Web search and Wikipedia. Microsoft said it will shut down the online version of Encarta in October and will discontinue sales of the PC software by June. Critics questioned some of Microsoft's editorial decisions, including the fact that Encarta's dictionary had a photo of Bill Gates and not one of John F. Kennedy. But CD-ROM reference materials quickly turned to relics as high-speed Internet access spread, Web search improved and ventures like Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia compiled and constantly updated by volunteers, gained credibility. "People today seek and consume information in considerably different ways than in years past," the Redmond, Wash.-based company said in a statement on its Web site. ⁴

According to its FAQ, Encarta's web sites will be discontinued on October 31, 2009 (Except for Japan, which has until December 31, 2009). ¹

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1. Microsoft to Shutter Encarta, Read All About It on Wikipedia (TechCrunch)

2. Microsoft Encarta Dies After Long Battle With Wikipedia (Bits (NYT))

3. Wait... Encarta Is STILL Around?!? [Digital Daily] (All Things Digital)

4. Microsoft to Shutter Encarta This Year (Boston Globe)

5. Microsoft Announces End of the Road for Encarta (ReadWriteWeb)

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