Say Goodbye to Encarta

For quite some time, Microsoft’s Encarta virtual encyclopedia was invaluable to students and those in need of some quick research. In fact, it used to come bundled with every new computer. However, Microsoft has announced that they will be shutting down the Encarta website on October 31, 2009 (except for the Japanese site, whiazh will shut down at the end of the year), and they will no longer be producing either the student or the premium Encarta encyclopedia. Anyone who paid for access to MSN Encarta Premium will receive a refund on April 30, although they will have full access to the site until it is taken down. Microsoft’s reasoning behind the shut down is that people no longer look to traditional encyclopedias for information—the way research is done has changed, and Microsoft must change with it.