this post was submitted on 01 Nov 2023
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Technology

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The History of Microsoft Encarta (www.abortretry.fail)
submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
21 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

In 1985, shortly after the release of Windows 1.0, Bill Gates set Min Lee on a mission to find a partner for a digital encyclopedia product that would serve as a reference companion to Microsoft’s productivity applications. Lee then approached Britannica, the undisputed leader in the encyclopedia market, who’d recently released a new version of the fifteenth edition of their encyclopedia. Microsoft proposed a partnership to produce a multimedia CD-ROM version of the Encyclopædia Britannica. In exchange for non-exclusive rights to Britannica’s text, Microsoft would pay Britannica a royalty on each copy of the CD-ROM product sold. Britannica immediately declined Lee’s proposal.

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I've got a dorkier story: I asked for speech dictation software.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

Jfc I had forgotten those were the shit back then, with those dorky long microphones, plugged to a PC. Thank you for remind me how old I am.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Probably Dragon Dictate?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

I remember when that was recommended to be used with a 2nd drive as the install root ('cos the primary IDE didn't have the headroom for all the I/O - man, we've come a long way!)