Microsoft announced the discontinuation of Encarta in March 2009, citing shifts in how people consume information. Microsoft Encarta Retrospective
: Featured a virtual globe atlas (powered by MapPoint technology), dynamic timelines, and 360-degree virtual tours. Encarta Encyclopedia Free Software
Encarta was born from Microsoft's internal project in the late 1980s. After being rejected by Encyclopædia Britannica , Microsoft licensed text from Funk & Wagnalls Encyclopedia for its initial 1993 release. Microsoft announced the discontinuation of Encarta in March
: Over time, Microsoft bolstered its content by purchasing and incorporating Collier’s Encyclopedia and the New Merit Scholar’s Encyclopedia . Key Features and Content After being rejected by Encyclopædia Britannica , Microsoft
Although mainly sold on CD-ROM and DVD, Microsoft experimented with free access models:
: An abridged online version offering around 16,000 articles for free to students and teachers.
Microsoft Encarta was a digital multimedia encyclopedia published by Microsoft from . While it was primarily a paid commercial product, limited free versions existed through the Encarta Concise Encyclopedia online and ad-supported web articles before its eventual discontinuation. Today, the software is considered abandonware and is often found for free on archival sites like Internet Archive . Historical Overview and Development