Free Online Encyclopedia...

[chip]

Hi people,

I want an encyclopedia for the computer. If anyone can tell me where I can download a good one...I would really like it...thanks

[Boo Radley]

Free online encyclopedias:

Wikipedia (useful but not a good reference source)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

Encarta (good for school stuff and good multimedia) - is it free?
http://encarta.msn.com

Grolier - 30 day trial (good multimedia and rich content)
http://auth.grolier.com/cgi-bin/authV2?bffs=N

My favourite encyclopedia is Britannica but it's not free (unless you download it via torrents).

I’d recommend Britannica coz
- it has a unique, professional writing style that surpasses any other encyclopedia
- it’s very accurate and highly respected in references (bibliography). Although, I personally find the encyclopedia to have a biased British point of view in some cases but nothing major.
- Some Teachers nag about using the library instead of the internet for your references, right? Britannica (electronic version) will do the trick while you stay at home ;-) The electronic version is exactly like the old dusty Britannica books in the library. You can always lie and tell your teacher you went to the library ;-)

Problems with Britannica:
- it’s updated very slowly. You can find awesome info about the 2nd World War for instance but don’t expect to find anything about “Blogging” for instance.
- sometimes the writing style is just too complex. Some people prefer a more relaxed writing style.

do you need it for a specific topic?

[chip]

ohh i think ill try out the grolier one...I dont think u can download wikipedia can you? thanks a lot Boo