OED May Be Going All Digital

Reports are that the next editions of the venerable Oxford English Dictionary will skip the print stage and go directly to subscription based online access only.  As this article in PC World notes, the second edition weighs in at 137.72 pounds for some 20 volumes compared to two-thirds the space of a CD-ROM for the same material.  A subscription at $295 would pay for slightly more than 4 years of access compared to the cost of purchasing the second edition.  I don't think I will miss the Compact Edition with the tiniest of tiny print and the magnifying glass should this come to pass.

The OED information website notes as well that the the dictionary's content will change somewhat with the launch of the new OED subscription site in December, 2010.  One change will be the integration of the Historical Thesaurus of the OED. allowing readers to click through from entries to synonyms by date.  More details on added functionality and differences are available at the OED Online Relaunch FAQ page.  [MG]