| MacPaint | |
|---|---|
 A picture in MacPaint 1.0 | |
| Developers | Apple Computer,Claris |
| Initial release | 1984; 41 years ago (1984) |
| Final release | 2.0 / January 24, 1988; 37 years ago (1988-01-24) |
| Written in | Pascal |
| Operating system | Classic Mac OS (System 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 System 6 System 7) |
| Type | Raster graphics editor |
| License | Proprietary |
| MacPaint image | |
|---|---|
| Filename extension | .pntg[1] |
| Type code | PNTG[1] |
| Uniform Type Identifier (UTI) | com.apple.macpaint-image[1] |
| Developed by | Apple Computer |
| Type of format | Image file |
MacPaint is araster graphics editor developed byApple Computer and released alongside the originalMacintoshpersonal computer on January 24, 1984.[2] It was sold bundled with itsword processing counterpart,MacWrite, forUS$195.[3] MacPaint was notable because it could generate graphics that could be used by other applications. It taught consumers what a graphics-based system could do by using themouse, theclipboard, andQuickDraw picture language.[4][5] Pictures could be cut from MacPaint and pasted into MacWrite documents.[5]
The original MacPaint was developed byBill Atkinson, a member of Apple's original Macintosh development team.[6] Early development versions of MacPaint were called MacSketch, still retaining part of the name of its roots, LisaSketch.[7] It was later developed byClaris, the software subsidiary of Apple which was formed in 1987. The last version of MacPaint was version 2.0, released in 1988. It was discontinued by Claris in 1998 because of diminishing sales.[8]
MacPaint was written byBill Atkinson, a member of Apple's original Macintosh development team.[6] The original MacPaint program consisted of 5,804 lines ofPascalcomputer code, augmented by another 2,738 lines of68000assembly language.[9] MacPaint's user interface was designed bySusan Kare, also a member of the Macintosh team.[10] Kare also beta-tested MacPaint before release.[10]
MacPaint allows users to edit a 576-by-720 pixel, 72-dpi bitmap (slightly wider than the screen, and slightly more than twice as tall as the screen). A drawing canvas occupies most of the screen real estate, offering a viewport into a portion of the bitmap, with toolbars and pattern palettes around it.[citation needed]
MacPaint uses two offscreenmemory buffers to avoid flicker when dragging shapes or images across the screen.[11] One of these buffers contained the existing pixels of a document, and the other contained the pixels of its previous state.[11] The second buffer was used as the basis of the software'sundo feature.[11] In April 1983, the software's name was changed from MacSketch to MacPaint.[12] The original MacPaint was programmed as a single-document interface. The palette positions and sizes were unalterable, as was the document window. This differed from other Macintosh software at the time, which allowed users to move windows and resize them.
The original MacPaint did incorporate a double zoom function. Instead of a zoom function, a special magnification mode called FatBits was used. FatBits showed each pixel as a clickable rectangle with a white border. The FatBits editing mode set the standard for many future editors.[13] MacPaint included a "Goodies" menu which included the FatBits tool. This menu had been named the "Aids" menu in prerelease versions, but was renamed "Goodies" as public awareness of theAIDS epidemic grew in the summer of 1983.[14][15]
MacPaint was first advertised in an 18-page brochure in December 1983, following the earlier announcement of theMacintosh 128K.[16] The Macintosh was released on January 24, 1984,[15][2] with two applications, MacPaint andMacWrite. For a special post-election edition ofNewsweek in November 1984, Apple spent more than US$2.5 million to buy all 39 of the advertising pages in the issue. The Newsweek advertisement included many pages dedicated to explaining how MacWrite and MacPaint worked together.[17] After launch, aNew York Times reviewer noted how MacPaint unfolded numerous graphic possibilities for the personal computer; he went further to say "it is better than anything else of its kind offered on personal computers by a factor of 10."[5]
MacPaint 2.0 was released on January 11, 1988, byClaris.[18] It added many improvements to the software, including the capability to open and use up to nine documents simultaneously.[19] The original MacPaint operated as a single-document application with an immovable window. MacPaint 2.0 eliminated this limitation, introducing a fully functioning document window, which could be sized up to 8 x 10".[19] Several other features were introduced, such as a Zoom tool, MagicEraser tool for undo actions and stationary documents.[19] MacPaint 2.0 was developed by David Ramsey, a developer at Claris.[20] MacPaint 2.0 was sold for US$125, with a US$25 upgrade available for existing users of MacPaint.[19] Claris discontinued technical support for the original MacPaint in 1989.[21] Claris stopped selling MacPaint in early 1998 because of diminishing sales.[8]
Since 2010, MacPaint 1.3'ssource code (written in a combination ofAssembly andPascal) has been available through theComputer History Museum,[22] along with theQuickDraw source code, a library to draw bitmapped graphics,[23] due to the support of Steve Jobs.[24]
MacPaint inspired other companies to release similar products for other platforms;[25] within a year a half-dozenclones existed for the Apple II and IBM PC.[26] Some of these includedBroderbund'sDazzle Draw for the Apple II, Mouse Systems'PCPaint for the PC, andIBM's Color Paint for theIBM PCjr.[27]
An unofficial update by Mac Aspect called MacPaint X was released for Mac OS X as adonationware beta in 2008. It was intended as a simple drawing program for learning to draw on a computer or for quick sketches on Apple's then current operating systems.[28][29]
| Version | Release date | Release information |
|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | January 24, 1984 | Initial release with System Software 1.0[30] |
| 1.3 | May 1984[31] | Released with System Software 1.1[32] |
| 1.4 | September 1984 | Released withMacintosh 512K |
| 1.5 | April 1985 | Released with System Software 2.0[33] |
| 2.0 | January 1988[34] | Last release |
[Jobs] sent a one line e-mail saying it was a good idea, and it was done the next day," Spicer recalled. "Having an internal advocate is key.
