Encarta is super nostalgic, and I was surprised it wasn't available to use online. So I embarked on the difficult task of making it so.
The way this works is the most convoluted, nonsense and brittle system ever... but it works as a statically hosted gh-pages site!
Please note: All the material on this site is freely available through the internet archive (see github readme)
Github repo -> https://github.com/benwinding/encarta_95_web
I_am_tiberius2 minutes ago
This makes me raise the question whether it's possible to view wikipedia as per ...? I know i can go back per article - but can I browse wikipidea as it was in 2005?
haunter8 minutes ago
I still have my boxed copy of Encarta 2001. The interactive world atlas was the best feature! Miles ahead of everything at the time. Multiple layers of stats from population to weather to languages etc https://youtu.be/zsbShjlh6xk?si=4U47LILUmKPfXgPY&t=320
xacky17 minutes ago
CD ROM encyclopedias were only really viable when dial up speeds limited the amount of multimedia content on the internet. Both Microsoft and Britannica were victims of internet encyclopedias. And now static internet based encyclopedias are themselves under threat of personalised AI content as well. The pursuit of knowledge keeps changing what knowledge itself looks like.
0x10ca1h0st21 minutes ago
The very first program I ever used on my father's PC, and would constantly get stuck playing Mind Maze for hours.
wafflez37 minutes ago
What a throwback. Right back to writing "book reports" in middle school.
sucrose3 days ago
I got carried away and started playing the Age of Empires Demo from the desktop after I exited Encarta
usern2026072034 minutes ago
it is amazing that you can emulate win 95 on a browser tab and play win 95 video games like it's 1998.
mysterydip6 minutes ago
It goes to show how actually powerful modern hardware is, and how much of it is squandered by modern software.
OuterValean hour ago
Glad to see I'm not the only one who immediately ditched an opportunity to learn for AoE. It lures like a siren's song.
pixel_popping3 days ago
Back to prompting now.
nether1an hour ago
Me too
phantomathkg10 minutes ago
the problem i have is the mouse control is weird.
tadfisher3 days ago
Just checked, the Soundgarden clip is in its proper place on the Rock Music article. Fantastic work.
gitgudop2 days ago
Nice! Here’s the permalink for “Rock Music” (it’s funny how this is implemented)
https://benwinding.github.io/encarta_95_web/#/article/Rock%2...
otagekkian hour ago
Wait, it even features a windows 95? nice easter egg
notpushkin27 minutes ago
It is loading a Windows 95 VM (using https://copy.sh/v86/) and runs an actual copy of Encarta 95 there, yeah.
p_l9 minutes ago
and includes AoE 2 :D
karim793 days ago
Oh God I remember running this on my dad's computer which had the first CD-ROM drive I had seen. I felt like I was in a spaceship
bombcar8 minutes ago
I remember the CD drive on the school computer took CDs in a big case with a floppy like opening.
rahidz40 minutes ago
Immediately jumped straight to MindMaze.
bananaflagan hour ago
The text looks very weird on my PC, see: https://imgur.com/a/vAMVHc7
Cilvican hour ago
isn't that how it looked at the time?
Brendinooo40 minutes ago
Straight to Mind Maze for me!
(Mouse is VERY touchy though)
est40 minutes ago
The mouse hijack feels really weird
neronuser3 days ago
Oh, that's very nostalgic, even though I only got acquainted with Encarta in the 2000s
BorisMelnik3 days ago
wow blast from the past. I do beleive this exact version prob in exactly 95 was the first CD I ever inserted into a CD rom. lots of fun!
alexwrich2 days ago
NICE - thank u