Encarta Premium Suite claims a base of 130,000+ articles, along with 25,300+ photos and illustrations and 1.8 million map locations. That's more than a bit of bedtime reading, although of course there are really only two reasons why people buy digital encyclopedias these days -- either they've got kids to educate, or they're after some verifiable and quotable facts for a research project. For almost anyone else, of course, there's Google.

Microsoft has been producing its Encarta Encyclopedia and World Atlas since the early 1990s, but despite several attempts it has never produced anything that could rightfully claim to be an Australian edition...

Search giant launches competition to prop up struggling encyclopaedia.

Public encyclopaedia outlasts critics [citation needed].

'Essjay' episode could change makeup of user-driven encyclopaedia.

The Internet is booming again, but this time it’s very different. PC Authority brings you up to speed with the global Web 2.0 phenomenon.

The Ultimate Reference Suite is the latest digital edition of the Britannica. Consisting of three encyclopaedias, numerous dictionaries, thesauri, timelines and even an atlas, it's just as exhaustive as its predecessors, covering mountains of topics in impressive detail.

Beware geeks bearing gifts.

The big test for any interactive encyclopaedia is how well it deals with local information. Microsoft quickly learned that Australian students are not interested in an American view of the world and for the past few editions of its Encarta it has been putting a lot of effort into the Australian content.

But Tiananmen Square still never happened.

Have you ever wanted to browse your favourite Wikipedia entries with the added benefit of video and music? Navify does just that, in an attempt to bring more interaction to the world's biggest encyclopaedia.

Sanger speaks after launch of rival site.

Penn State engineers demonstrate speeds of 100Gbps.

Last week, in honour of the Windows 7 launch, we covered Microsoft's biggest successes in the computing field. This week, in the interest of balance, we're looking to the company's dark side..

We've searched every corner of the web for the most useful (and useless) sites you've never seen. Download free movies and music, find the cheapest shopping sites, get a degree, make money, walk on Mars and much more.

Ever wondered what a particular acronym stands for? Find the answer in our comprehensive reference guide to computer industry acronyms. RTFM!

User-generated knowledge tool unveiled.

Mainland users reporting access in some areas.

Posts processed by 'trusted editors' before going online.

Community-based Wikiasari search engine to launch soon.