Reference Software
Just two decades ago, comprehensive reference books were an upper middle class luxury. Owning a complete volume of any encyclopedia cost at least hundreds, and often thousands, of dollar. That all changed with the birth of the compact disc and the increased availability of home computers. Now, enormous amounts of information are accessible with the click of a button at little to no cost.
Dictionary and Thesaurus Software
Since print dictionaries and thesauri are relatively small books, their popularity hasn't take the kind of massive hit that print encyclopedias have taken. Also, their compact nature makes them less likely to appear as independent software on CD or DVD. However, thanks to the increasing popularity of mobile communication devices, dictionary and thesaurus software is increasingly portable to PDAs, smartphones and other handhelds.
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The Oxford American Dictionary and Thesaurus features well over 100,000 dictionary entries and a complete thesaurus. It supports a whole host of mobile devices and has an easy-to-navigate interface. |
Webster's Third New International Dictionary features nearly 500,000 entries and over 1,000 illustrations. The software comes with a free subscription to the Merriam-Webster unabridged dictionary Web site. |
The Advanced Learner's Dictionary is packed with interesting features. It allows users to hear both British and American pronunciations and even record their own. The software also features study drills that allow a user to practice pronunciation. |
Encyclopedia Software
Though the Internet revolution has come close to displacing home-use only encyclopedias in both print and on transportable media, there are still several respected publishers who continue to release CD and DVD versions of their volumes, though most of the content on these volumes is also available via online subscription. Most software encyclopedias include dictionaries and thesaurus software in addition to the typical encylopedic features. Some publishers offer home users special features not available on their online reference pages.
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When Microsoft introduced its Encarta software in 1993 a revolution was born. Though it was not the first computer encyclopedia, it was the first computer-only one. Encarta nearly 70,000 articles, multimedia features, a world atlas and more, though different regional versions exist, making the program of questionable objectivity. |
Encyclopedia Britanicca has been publishing volumes of information since the 1770s. The latest computer version of the Britanicca features over 100,000 articles written by over 4,000 contributors, multimedia content, maps and other reference materials. Britanicca's history is certainly full, but the price may keep some away. |
World Book is the most often updated of software encyclopedias and some argue the most accurate. The 2006 Editions feature 1,200 maps and lots of multimedia options. World Book may be especially appealing to Mac users. They're treated to music from the Warner/Rhino collection from artists including the Doors, Joni Mitchell and Madonna. |
Online Reference Materials
The popularity of the Internet has revolutionized how human beings access their information. There are dozens of completely free Web sites offering reference-oriented content on any number of subjects as well as comprehensive versions of classic encyclopedias like Britanicca and World Book that charge a yearly or monthly fee. The Internet could even bee considered the world's largest and most complex reference guide. Below are just some of the nearly endless array of examples of online encylopedic, dictionary and thesaurus resources.
Encyclopedias
Dictionaries/Thesauri
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