Microsoft Home
Encyclopedia
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
. Microsoft Home software titles first appeared in the middle of 1993. These applications were designed to bring multimedia to Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
and Macintosh personal computers. With more than 60 products available under the Microsoft Home brand by 1994, the company's push into the consumer market took off. Microsoft also announced at that time Microsoft Plus!
Microsoft Plus!
Microsoft Plus! was a commercial operating system enhancement product by Microsoft. The last edition is the Plus! SuperPack, which includes an assortment of screensavers, themes, and games, as well as multimedia applications...
, an add-on enhancement package for Windows, which was continued until the Windows 2000
Windows 2000
Windows 2000 is a line of operating systems produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, business desktops, laptops, and servers. Windows 2000 was released to manufacturing on 15 December 1999 and launched to retail on 17 February 2000. It is the successor to Windows NT 4.0, and is the...
era. The range of home software catered for many different consumer interests from gaming with Microsoft Arcade
Microsoft Arcade
Microsoft Arcade is a series of classic arcade game compilations, the first of which was released in 1993 on a single 1.44MB floppy. Available for both Microsoft Windows 3.1 and the Apple Macintosh, it contained versions of Tempest, Battlezone, Asteroids, Centipede, and Missile Command...
and Entertainment Packs
Microsoft Entertainment Pack
The original Microsoft Windows Entertainment Pack is a collection of simply-designed 16-bit computer games for Windows. These games were somewhat unusual for the time, in that they would not run under MS-DOS. Many of the games were later released in the Best of Windows Entertainment Pack...
to reference titles such as Microsoft Encarta, Bookshelf
Microsoft Bookshelf
Microsoft Bookshelf was a reference collection introduced in 1987 as part of Microsoft's extensive work in promoting CD-ROM technology as a distribution medium for electronic publishing. The original MS-DOS version showcased the massive storage capacity of CD-ROM technology, and was accessed while...
and Cinemania
Microsoft Cinemania
Microsoft Cinemania. Interactive Movie Guide was a reference and educational application produced by Microsoft and published annually beginning in 1992. The software was mainly a database of films, in a similar fashion to the Internet Movie Database, and gave descriptions of the films and who...
. Shortly after the release of Microsoft Windows 95, the company began to reduce the price of Microsoft Home products and by the rise of the World Wide Web
World Wide Web
The World Wide Web is a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet...
by 1998, Microsoft began to phase out the line of software. Today, Microsoft Home products can still be found on eBay
EBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
, Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
and in charity shops every once in a while, and they are beginning to fetch collector prices. However, some of them are available for download (albeit illegally
Warez
Warez refers primarily to copyrighted works distributed without fees or royalties, and may be traded, in general violation of copyright law. The term generally refers to unauthorized releases by organized groups, as opposed to file sharing between friends or large groups of people with similar...
) from various Internet websites dealing with abandonware
Abandonware
Abandonware are discontinued products for which no product support is available, or whose copyright ownership may be unclear for various reasons...
.
Titles
Microsoft Home produced software for all different uses and environments. The products are divided into five categories: Reference & Exploration, Entertainment, Kids, Home Productivity and Sounds, Sights & Gear. The category in which the product was divided is identifiable by the package. Generally, Reference & Exploration products have a purple base color, Entertainment has a black base color, Kids has a yellow base color, Home Productivity has a green color and Sounds, Sights & Gear products have a grey or red base color. Note that many applications were developed in conjunction with other reputable software and reference companies. For example, Microsoft Musical Instruments was developed with Dorling KindersleyDorling Kindersley
Dorling Kindersley is an international publishing company specializing in illustrated reference books for adults and children in 51 languages. It is currently part of the Penguin Group....
.
Reference & Exploration software
Microsoft Home Reference products brought information to Multimedia Personal ComputersMultimedia PC
The Multimedia PC, or MPC, was a recommended configuration for a PC with a CD-ROM drive. The standard was set and named by the "Multimedia PC Marketing Council", which was a working group of the Software Publishers Association . The MPMC comprised companies including Microsoft, Creative Labs,...
- it was an effective way of presenting and exploring information before the World Wide Web
World Wide Web
The World Wide Web is a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet...
became mainstream. These products were embellished with hyperlink
Hyperlink
In computing, a hyperlink is a reference to data that the reader can directly follow, or that is followed automatically. A hyperlink points to a whole document or to a specific element within a document. Hypertext is text with hyperlinks...
navigation systems, which were relatively new at this time. Most of these products were released on CD-ROM
CD-ROM
A CD-ROM is a pre-pressed compact disc that contains data accessible to, but not writable by, a computer for data storage and music playback. The 1985 “Yellow Book” standard developed by Sony and Philips adapted the format to hold any form of binary data....
, giving the software the ability to display high-resolution graphics and animations, and play high-quality waveforms and MIDI files. These products proved that personal computers would revolutionize the way that we find and explore information.
| Name | Year of Release | Retail Price when New |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Encarta | 1993–2009 | US$99.95/CAD$139.95 |
| Microsoft Encarta Africana | 1999-2001 (Later merged into Encarta) | |
| Microsoft Bookshelf Microsoft Bookshelf Microsoft Bookshelf was a reference collection introduced in 1987 as part of Microsoft's extensive work in promoting CD-ROM technology as a distribution medium for electronic publishing. The original MS-DOS version showcased the massive storage capacity of CD-ROM technology, and was accessed while... |
1987, 1992, 1994-2000 | US$69.95/CAD$99.95 |
| Microsoft Cinemania Microsoft Cinemania Microsoft Cinemania. Interactive Movie Guide was a reference and educational application produced by Microsoft and published annually beginning in 1992. The software was mainly a database of films, in a similar fashion to the Internet Movie Database, and gave descriptions of the films and who... |
1994-1997 | US$59.95/CAD$79.95 |
| Microsoft Automap Streets (then Streets Plus & Microsoft Streets & Trips) | 1995-Present | |
| Microsoft Automap Road Atlas (then Trip Planner & Microsoft Streets & Trips) | 1995-Present | |
| Microsoft Music Central Microsoft Music Central Microsoft Music Central was a music encyclopedia on CDROM produced by Microsoft, similar to their Cinemania product and part of the Microsoft Home range. The software featured a selection of biographical articles from the Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music a spin off of the Encyclopedia of... |
1996-1997 | |
| Microsoft Complete Baseball | 1994-1995 | US$49.95/CAD$69.95 |
| Microsoft Complete NBA Basketball | 1994-1996 | US$49.95/CAD$69.95 |
| Microsoft Complete Gardening | 1996 | |
| Microsoft Reader's Digest Complete Do-It-Yourself Guide | 1996 | |
| Microsoft Oceans | 1995 | |
| Microsoft 500 Nations (North American Indian tribes and civilizations) | 1995 | |
| Microsoft World of Flight | 1995 | |
| Microsoft Ancient Lands | 1994 | US$59.95/CAD$79.95 |
| Microsoft Dinosaurs Microsoft Dinosaurs Microsoft Dinosaurs: An Interactive Journey into the World of Dinosaurs is a discontinued educational program by Microsoft Home, published in 1993. It contains, among other things, an excerpt from Phil Tippett's short film Prehistoric Beast.... |
1993 | US$59.95/CAD$79.95 |
| Microsoft Dangerous Creatures Microsoft Dangerous Creatures Microsoft Dangerous Creatures is a discontinued educational program by Microsoft Home. It was first published in 1994. Most of the content was written by naturalist and children's television presenter Josh Whelan.- Gameplay :... |
1994 | US$59.95/CAD$79.95 |
| Microsoft Dogs | 1995 | |
| Microsoft Musical Instruments | 1992 | US$59.95/CAD$79.95 |
| Microsoft Isaac Asimov's The Ultimate Robot | 1993 | US$59.95/CAD$79.95 |
| Microsoft Art Gallery | 1994 | US$59.95/CAD$79.95 |
| Microsoft Wine Guide | 1995 | |
| Microsoft Julia Child: Home Cooking with Master Chefs | 1995 | |
| Microsoft The Ultimate Frank Lloyd Wright: America's Architect | 1994 | US$59.95/CAD$79.95 |
| Microsoft Composer Collection | 1995 | US$79.95/CAD$109.95 |
| Microsoft Multimedia Mozart: The Dissonant Quartet | 1992–1995 | US$59.95/CAD$79.95 |
| Microsoft Multimedia Beethoven: The Ninth Symphony | 1992–1995 | US$59.95/CAD$79.95 |
| Microsoft Multimedia Schubert: The Trout Quintet | 1992–1995 | US$59.95/CAD$79.95 |
| Microsoft Multimedia Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring | 1992–1995 | US$59.95/CAD$79.95 |
| Microsoft Multimedia Strauss: Three Tone Poems | 1992–1995 | US$59.95/CAD$79.95 |
| Microsoft BOB Microsoft Bob Microsoft Bob was a Microsoft software product, released in March 1995, which provided a new, nontechnical interface to desktop computing operations. It was one of Microsoft's more visible product failures... |
1995 | US$99.00/ |
Entertainment
In the early 1990s, games on personal computers generally ran on the now obsolete MS-DOSMS-DOS
MS-DOS is an operating system for x86-based personal computers. It was the most commonly used member of the DOS family of operating systems, and was the main operating system for IBM PC compatible personal computers during the 1980s to the mid 1990s, until it was gradually superseded by operating...
operating system. However, with the introduction of Microsoft Windows 3.1x
Windows 3.1x
Windows 3.1x is a series of 16-bit operating systems produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers. The series began with Windows 3.1, which was first sold during March 1992 as a successor to Windows 3.0...
in 1992, Microsoft Home published several entertainment applications that implemented the new technologies of Microsoft Windows. Furthermore, these applications encouraged the computer gamers
Computer Games
"Computer Games" is a single by New Zealand group, Mi-Sex released in 1979 in Australia and New Zealand and in 1981 throughout Europe. It was the single that launched the band, and was hugely popular, particularly in Australia and New Zealand...
of the time to migrate from MS-DOS to Microsoft Windows. This transition permitted better use of computer graphics, revolutionized game programming
Game programming
Game programming, a subset of game development, is the programming of computer, console or arcade games. Though often engaged in by professional game programmers, many novices may program games as a hobby...
and resulted in a more realistic gaming experience. For example, Microsoft Windows Entertainment Pack Games have remained a classic for computer gamers, ever since their development in the early 1990s.
| Name | Year of Release | Retail Price when New |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Fury3 Fury3 Fury3 is a video game developed by Terminal Reality and published by Microsoft in 1995 for Microsoft Windows. It is not a sequel to Terminal Velocity, but the two games share basic game mechanics and use the same engine... |
1995 | |
| Microsoft Deadly Tide Deadly Tide Deadly Tide is a PC video game; a rail shooter released by Microsoft Game Studios in 1996.-Plot:The player takes on the role of the last remaining fighter left to save Earth from an alien invasion in the role of one of Earth's elite "hydrofighter" pilots. Five years have passed since the aliens... (underwater fighting machines) |
1995 | |
| Microsoft Flight Simulator History of Microsoft Flight Simulator Microsoft Flight Simulator began as a set of articles on computer graphics, written by Bruce Artwick throughout 1976, about flight simulation using 3-D graphics. When the editor of the magazine told Artwick that subscribers were interested in purchasing such a program, Artwick founded subLOGIC... |
1982, 1993-2006 | US$49.95/CAD$64.95 |
Scenery Enhancements for Microsoft Flight Simulator Version 5.0:
|
1995 | US$34.95/CAD$49.95 |
| Microsoft Golf | 1993-2001 | US$49.95/CAD$69.95 |
| Microsoft Golf Championship Courses:
|
1993 | US$24.95/CAD$34.95 |
| Microsoft Space Simulator Microsoft Space Simulator Microsoft Space Simulator is a space flight simulator program, based on Microsoft Flight Simulator, for MS-DOS/Microsoft Windows. It is one of the first general-purpose space flight simulators and it incorporated concepts from astrodynamics and celestial mechanics.- Features :*14 spacecraft models... |
1995 | US$49.95/CAD$64.95 |
| (The Best of) Microsoft Entertainment Pack Best of Windows Entertainment Pack The Best of Windows Entertainment Pack was a collection of thirteen 16-bit simple games sold separately from Windows. It was published in the Microsoft Home series of software. They were selected as the best games from the previously released Microsoft Entertainment Pack series... |
1995 | US$24.95/CAD$34.95 |
| Microsoft Arcade Microsoft Arcade Microsoft Arcade is a series of classic arcade game compilations, the first of which was released in 1993 on a single 1.44MB floppy. Available for both Microsoft Windows 3.1 and the Apple Macintosh, it contained versions of Tempest, Battlezone, Asteroids, Centipede, and Missile Command... |
1993 | US$34.95/CAD$44.95 |
| Microsoft Return of Arcade | 1998 | |
| Microsoft Revenge of Arcade | ||
| Microsoft Pinball Arcade Microsoft Pinball Arcade Microsoft Pinball Arcade is a pinball video game from Microsoft. It was released on December 15, 1998 for PC and in 2001 for the Game Boy Color. The game is a collection of seven real pinball tables licensed by Gottlieb... |
1998 | |
Kids
Educational software
Educational software is computer software, the primary purpose of which is teaching or self-learning.-Early History, 1940s - 1970s:The use of computer hardware and software in education and training dates to the early 1940s, when American researchers developed flight simulators which used analog...
aimed at children during the 1990s. Their products feature a purple-skinned character named McZee who wears wacky attire and leads children through the fictional town of Imaginopolis, where each building or room is a unique interface to a different part of the software. He is accompanied by a different partner in each software title.
Microsoft Home's software for kids was popular not only for home use, but also in school and educational institutions. Microsoft proved that the personal computer should not be daunting, but can be used by the whole family. Tying in with the TV series, Microsoft Scholastic's The Magic School Bus was a highly successful series that continued to be sold after Microsoft Home's kids range of software turned into a subsidiary called Microsoft Kids.
| Name | Year of Release | Retail Price when New |
|---|---|---|
Microsoft Scholastic's The Magic School Bus: (This was a series of software based on the television series of the same name. The user had to solve puzzles based on science in order to complete the game.)
|
1994-2000 | US$49.95/CAD$69.95 |
| Microsoft Gahan Wilson's The Ultimate Haunted House The Ultimate Haunted House Gahan Wilson's The Ultimate Haunted House is a computer adventure game developed by Byron Preiss Multimedia/Brooklyn Multimedia, published and distributed by Microsoft Home, and directed by Judson Rosebush. The game is designed by Walt Freitag and Barbara Lanza and published in 1993 and 1994... (A game designed by Gahan Wilson designed for kids to explore an eerie Haunted House populated by strange inhabitants.) |
1993 | US$49.95/CAD$69.95 |
| Microsoft Creative Writer Creative Writer Creative Writer is a word-processing program created by Microsoft's Microsoft Kids subsidiary in 1993. Using this program, which is specifically targeted at children, it is possible to create documents such as letters, posters, flyers and stories complete with different fonts, Clip art, WordArt and... and Creative Writer 2 (Word processors released in 1994 and 1996 respectively aimed specifically at children). |
1993 | US$49.95/CAD$69.95 |
| Microsoft Fine Artist (Drawing program that looked and felt similar to Creative Writer.) | 1993 | US$49.95/CAD$69.95 |
| Ghostwriter Mysteries for Creative Writer | 1995 | US$19.95/CAD$29.95 |
| P.J.'s Reading Adventures (Collection of three storybook adventures for children, Paul Bunyan Paul Bunyan Paul Bunyan is a lumberjack figure in North American folklore and tradition. One of the most famous and popular North American folklore heroes, he is usually described as a giant as well as a lumberjack of unusual skill, and is often accompanied in stories by his animal companion, Babe the Blue... , How the Leopard Got His Spots Just So Stories The Just So Stories for Little Children were written by British author Rudyard Kipling. They are highly fantasised origin stories and are among Kipling's best known works.-Description:... and Koi and the Kola Nuts.) |
1995 | US$49.95/CAD$69.95 |
| Microsoft 3D Movie Maker 3D Movie Maker 3D Movie Maker is a program created by Microsoft's "Microsoft Kids" subsidiary in 1995. Using this program, directors are able to place 3D characters in pre-made or custom-made environments, add actions, sound effects, music, text, and speech, and then show these movies off to friends, family,... (Children oriented program that allowed them to create their own movies using preset character animation and sounds.) |
1995 | US$49.95/CAD$69.95 |
| Microsoft Nickelodeon 3D Movie Maker (This version used characters from the popular Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (TV channel) Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers... shows) |
1996 | US$49.95/CAD$69.95 |
| Microsoft Explorapedia: (These were 2 interactive kids-oriented encyclopedia Encyclopedia An encyclopedia is a type of reference work, a compendium holding a summary of information from either all branches of knowledge or a particular branch of knowledge.... s. It contained 400 articles accessed by clicking the appropriate picture in the environment.) |
1995 | US$49.95/CAD$69.95 |
| Microsoft Plus! for Kids (Windows 95 Windows 95 Windows 95 is a consumer-oriented graphical user interface-based operating system. It was released on August 24, 1995 by Microsoft, and was a significant progression from the company's previous Windows products... Plus Pack for Kids) |
1995 | US$24.95 |
| My Personal Tutor (Software instructed learning for preschool to first grade) | 1997 | US$54.95 |
| ActiMates Actimates ActiMates were a series of interactive toys released by Microsoft in February, 1997, which were in the form of licensed dolls which could interact with certain episodes of their respective television series on VHS videocassette which were bundled with the dolls.... Toy characters and software titles based on Barney & Friends Barney & Friends Barney and Friends, also referred to by HiT Entertainment as Barney the Friendly Dinosaur, is an independent children's television show produced in the United States, aimed at children from ages 1-8... |
1997 | US$64.95 for TV Pack and PC Pack, US$34.95 for software titles. |
Home productivity software
| Name | Year of Release | Retail Price when New |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft BOB Microsoft Bob Microsoft Bob was a Microsoft software product, released in March 1995, which provided a new, nontechnical interface to desktop computing operations. It was one of Microsoft's more visible product failures... |
1995 | US$99.00 |
| Microsoft Great Greetings for Microsoft BOB Microsoft Bob Microsoft Bob was a Microsoft software product, released in March 1995, which provided a new, nontechnical interface to desktop computing operations. It was one of Microsoft's more visible product failures... |
1995 | |
| Microsoft Bob Microsoft Bob Microsoft Bob was a Microsoft software product, released in March 1995, which provided a new, nontechnical interface to desktop computing operations. It was one of Microsoft's more visible product failures... Plus Pack |
1995 | |
| Microsoft Money Microsoft Money Microsoft Money was Microsoft's personal finance software. It was designed for computers using the Microsoft Windows operating system, though versions for Windows Mobile were also available .The last version, released in August 2007, was called Microsoft Money Plus and came... |
1994-2008 | US$14.95/CAD$24.95 |
| Microsoft Publisher Microsoft Publisher Microsoft Publisher is a desktop publishing application from Microsoft. It is an entry-level application, differing from Microsoft Word in that the emphasis is placed on page layout and design rather than text composition and proofing... |
1993-Present | US$99.95/CAD$139.95 |
Microsoft Publisher Design Packs:
|
1993? | US$39.95/CAD$54.95 |
| Microsoft Greetings Workshop | 1996-2002 | |
| Microsoft Picture It! Microsoft Picture It! Microsoft Picture It! is a discontinued photo editing application created by Microsoft. Version 1.0 was released in September 1996. Borrowing from the wizard user interface concepts of Microsoft Publisher, Picture It! was geared to make digital imaging easy for consumers... (rebranded as Microsoft Digital Image Microsoft Digital Image Microsoft Digital Image was a digital image editing program created by Microsoft. It is a successor to Microsoft Picture It!.Microsoft Digital Image came in three different editions: Digital Image Standard, which offered tools for editing images, Digital Image Suite, which added Digital Image... |
1996 | |
| Microsoft Home Publishing | 1999-2000 | |
| Microsoft Works Microsoft Works Microsoft Works is an integrated package software that is produced by Microsoft. Works is smaller, less expensive, and has fewer features than Microsoft Office or other major office suites. Its core functionality includes a word processor, a spreadsheet and a database management system... 3.0 for Windows |
1994 | US$99.95/CAD$139.95 |
| Microsoft Works Microsoft Works Microsoft Works is an integrated package software that is produced by Microsoft. Works is smaller, less expensive, and has fewer features than Microsoft Office or other major office suites. Its core functionality includes a word processor, a spreadsheet and a database management system... 3.0 for Windows on CD |
1994 | US$99.95/CAD$139.95 |
| Microsoft Works Microsoft Works Microsoft Works is an integrated package software that is produced by Microsoft. Works is smaller, less expensive, and has fewer features than Microsoft Office or other major office suites. Its core functionality includes a word processor, a spreadsheet and a database management system... 4.0 for Macintosh |
US$99.95/CAD$139.95 | |
| Microsoft Works Microsoft Works Microsoft Works is an integrated package software that is produced by Microsoft. Works is smaller, less expensive, and has fewer features than Microsoft Office or other major office suites. Its core functionality includes a word processor, a spreadsheet and a database management system... and Bookshelf Microsoft Bookshelf Microsoft Bookshelf was a reference collection introduced in 1987 as part of Microsoft's extensive work in promoting CD-ROM technology as a distribution medium for electronic publishing. The original MS-DOS version showcased the massive storage capacity of CD-ROM technology, and was accessed while... '94 |
1994 | US$99.95/CAD$139.95 |
Sights, Sounds & Gear
| Name | Year of Release | Retail Price when New |
|---|---|---|
Microsoft Scenes screensaver and wallpaper program
|
1994 | US$24.95/CAD$34.95 |
| Microsoft Natural Keyboard Microsoft Natural keyboard The Microsoft Natural Keyboard is a computer keyboard that was introduced by Microsoft in 1994. The keyboard was a split keyboard with each half of the keyboard separated and tilted upwards and down from the center of the keyboard... |
1994 | US$99.95/CAD$129.95 |
| Microsoft Mouse | 1993 | US$64.95/CAD$84.95 |
| Microsoft Windows Sound System Windows Sound System Windows Sound System was a sound card specification developed by Microsoft for use in their Windows 3.0 with MPC extensions. WSS featured support for up to 16-bit 48 kHz digital sampling, better than the contemporary Sound Blaster Pro... Version 2.0 |
1995 | US$59.95/CAD$84.95 |
| Microsoft Home Mouse | 1995 | US$44.95/$59.95 |
| Microsoft SoundBits (sound schemes)
|
1992–1994 | US$24.95/CAD$34.95 |
Legacy
- Microsoft AutoMap later became what is today called Microsoft MapPointMicrosoft MapPointMicrosoft MapPoint is both a technology and a specific software program created by Microsoft that allows users to view, edit and integrate maps. The software and technology are designed to facilitate the geographical visualization and analysis of either included data or custom data...
and Microsoft Streets & Trips. This can be confirmed by "AutoMap" registryWindows registryThe Windows Registry is a hierarchical database that stores configuration settings and options on Microsoft Windows operating systems. It contains settings for low-level operating system components as well as the applications running on the platform: the kernel, device drivers, services, SAM, user...
entries installed by these current products. - Microsoft PublisherMicrosoft PublisherMicrosoft Publisher is a desktop publishing application from Microsoft. It is an entry-level application, differing from Microsoft Word in that the emphasis is placed on page layout and design rather than text composition and proofing...
is still available even today as a part of Microsoft OfficeMicrosoft OfficeMicrosoft Office is a non-free commercial office suite of inter-related desktop applications, servers and services for the Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X operating systems, introduced by Microsoft in August 1, 1989. Initially a marketing term for a bundled set of applications, the first version of...
. - Microsoft Picture It!Microsoft Picture It!Microsoft Picture It! is a discontinued photo editing application created by Microsoft. Version 1.0 was released in September 1996. Borrowing from the wizard user interface concepts of Microsoft Publisher, Picture It! was geared to make digital imaging easy for consumers...
eventually became Microsoft Digital ImageMicrosoft Digital ImageMicrosoft Digital Image was a digital image editing program created by Microsoft. It is a successor to Microsoft Picture It!.Microsoft Digital Image came in three different editions: Digital Image Standard, which offered tools for editing images, Digital Image Suite, which added Digital Image...
and was discontinued after the release of Windows VistaWindows VistaWindows Vista is an operating system released in several variations developed by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, tablet PCs, and media center PCs...
, Windows Live Photo GalleryWindows Live Photo GalleryWindows Live Photo Gallery is a photo management and photo sharing application released as a part of Microsoft's Windows Live initiative. It is an upgraded version of Windows Photo Gallery, which is a part of Windows Vista....
includes similar features. - Microsoft WorksMicrosoft WorksMicrosoft Works is an integrated package software that is produced by Microsoft. Works is smaller, less expensive, and has fewer features than Microsoft Office or other major office suites. Its core functionality includes a word processor, a spreadsheet and a database management system...
was replaced by Office Starter 2010 which is available to OEMs for installation on new PCs only and does not include a replacement for the Works Database program. - Microsoft Encarta and Microsoft MoneyMicrosoft MoneyMicrosoft Money was Microsoft's personal finance software. It was designed for computers using the Microsoft Windows operating system, though versions for Windows Mobile were also available .The last version, released in August 2007, was called Microsoft Money Plus and came...
were discontinued in 2009, and no replacement products have been announced or released. - Microsoft Flight SimulatorMicrosoft Flight SimulatorMicrosoft Flight Simulator is a series of flight simulator programs for the Microsoft Windows operating system, although it was marketed as a video game. It is one of the longest-running, best-known and most comprehensive home flight simulator series...
development was discontinued with the closure of ACES Game Studio. The current version is available at Games for WindowsGames for WindowsGames for Windows is a brand owned by Microsoft and introduced in 2006 to coincide with the release of Windows Vista. The brand represents a standardized technical certification program and online service for Windows games, bringing a measure of regulation to the PC game market in much the same way...
website.