It will be interesting to see how accessible this product is.  I for one
will be watching to see if Microsoft's Active Accessibility or other
accessible software techniques have been used in the new software version
of the dictionary.  Hopefully so.


Microsoft To Publish Dictionary

Associated Press

Date:  06/17/1999 10:17

NEW YORK (AP) -- Microsoft Corp. is publishing an English dictionary,
building on the success of the Encarta encyclopedia CD-ROM that has made
the software company the nation's top encyclopedia publisher.

The Microsoft Encarta World English Dictionary will be published Aug. 4, in
time for the back-to-school selling season, The Wall Street Journal
reported today.

The new dictionary, developed from scratch, will be bundled into the
Encarta Reference Suite 2000 with the encyclopedia, an atlas and access to
an online service.

But unlike the Encarta encyclopedia, which is only available for computer
use, the dictionary also will be published in traditional print form. St.
Martin's Press will publish the American version, Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
for the United Kingdom and Pan Macmillan Australia Pty. Ltd. for Australia,
according to the Journal.

The multiple versions indicate Microsoft's efforts to make the Encarta
dictionary a global reference book, particularly for English-speaking
e-mail users who communicate with people from other countries where English
words can have different meanings.

Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft has not yet released a price for the new
Encarta software package or the print version of the dictionary, but the
company said it will be comparably priced to the current Encarta suite that
is available for about $69 with rebates.

Microsoft already offers an American Heritage dictionary in its Bookshelf
2000 software package.


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