Microsoft shutting down Encarta, why not release it under Creative Commons?

I remember Encarta. When I purchased my first ever new computer, a $1,600 486 processor-powered Tandy (the last Tandy/Radio Shack branded computer they built, I think), it came with Microsoft Encarta (and Tandy’s horrible user interface bolted on top of Windows 3.1, which I promptly deleted).

Encarta was a handful of disks full of the excitement of the digital encyclopedia. It even had multimedia, I got to click on a picture of a windsurfer and see a postage stamp sized video of a windsurfer jump a large wave.

Cool.

Encarta came with the new computer. Over time, when I got computers Encarta would partially be loaded and Microsoft would bug me to get updates or but it, or whatever, and I’d delete it in favor of going to the library. And then Wikipedia came out and I haven’t thought about Encarta until I read that today Microsoft was discontinuing it.

Makes sense.

But it looks like Microsoft is just shuttering Encarta. I’d encourage them, if they’re just going to drop it, to release the data as creative commons or just plumb gift it to Wikipedia (might even get a tax credit for it).

Encarta has a great deal of multimedia (it’s focus), not just word entries, that would be great additions to wikipedia and to have access to as a resource for teachers and developing worlds. Charts, visual explanations, illustrative photos, all these would be useful to add to common and public knowledge. There is value yet in Encarta.

If the project is dead and Microsoft has no interest in it, it would be a solid gift to let people take Encarta and run with it, or let the useful additions free to beef up wikipedia.

Come on Microsoft, what do you think?

Filed under the topic Journal, Tech on March 31st 2009 at 7:41 am. You can subscribe to the RSS feed for this entry to keep track of comments. You can also use to trackback.