Melnyk, a cabinet maker by day, calls himself the "skishin' magician, " and boasts that the word "skishing" is now found in the Microsoft Encarta dictionary.

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Why did Microsoft Encarta fail?

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Mr Kempin also exerted pressure on IBM over the CD-Rom Encyclopaedia IBM World Book, which competed with Microsoft's Encarta.

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Microsoft wanted to expand its Encarta brand of digital reference materials, which includes the world's bestselling electronic encyclopedia.

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It recently announced a multiproject deal with Microsoft that will include publishing the Encarta World English Dictionary as a book and CD-ROM in August.

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You also get Microsoft's Home Essentials 98 (which includes Word 97, Encarta 98, and Works 4.0), Bookshelf 98, Encarta Virtual Globe, Hallmark Greetings Workshop, Money 98, Trip Planner 98, and Streets 98.

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