Microsoft pulls the plug on Encarta

In a tacit admission of how thoroughly Wikipedia has managed to dominate the online reference market, Microsoft has decided to retire its MSN Encarta software and associated websites. According to Internet tracker Hitwise, Wikipedia accounts for some 97 percent of all online encyclopedia visits from U.S. visitors. MSN Encarta has just a 1.27 percent of the market.

Microsoft explains its rationale in a message posted on the MSN Encarta Website: "Encarta has been a popular product around the world for many years. However, the category of traditional encyclopedia and reference material has changed. People today seek and consume information in considerably different ways than in years past."

MSN Encarta sites worldwide will cease operation on October 31; Encarta Japan alone will remain open until the end of December. Current subscribers as of April 30 will receive a refund for services beyond that date. Guess what? Encarta's Wikipedia entry already has already been updated with the news of its demise.

For more on this story:
- check out this article at The Register

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