MacPaint

Last updated

MacPaint
Developer(s) Apple Computer, Claris
Initial release1984;40 years ago (1984)
Final release
2.0 / January 24, 1988;36 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 a raster graphics editor developed by Apple Computer and released with the original Macintosh personal computer on January 24, 1984. [2] It was sold separately for US$195 with its word processing counterpart, MacWrite. [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 the mouse, the clipboard, and QuickDraw picture language. [4] [5] Pictures could be cut from MacPaint and pasted into MacWrite documents. [5]

Contents

The original MacPaint was developed by Bill 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 by Claris, 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]

Development

MacPaint was written by Bill Atkinson, a member of Apple's original Macintosh development team. [6] The original MacPaint program consisted of 5,804 lines of Pascal computer code, augmented by another 2,738 lines of 68000 assembly language. [9] MacPaint's user interface was designed by Susan 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 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 offscreen memory 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's undo 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.

FatBits

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 the AIDS epidemic grew in the summer of 1983. [14] [15]

Release and version history

MacPaint was first advertised in an 18-page brochure in December 1983, following the earlier announcement of the Macintosh 128K. [16] The Macintosh was released on January 24, 1984, [15] [2] with two applications, MacPaint and MacWrite. For a special post-election edition of Newsweek 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, a New 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 running on System 7 MacPaint 2.0 screenshot.png
MacPaint 2.0 running on System 7

MacPaint 2.0 was released on January 11, 1988, by Claris. [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] There has been an unofficial update called MacPaint X which is 3.0 beta, mainly for people who wished to be able to use the program.

Since 2010, MacPaint 1.3's source code (written in a combination of Assembly and Pascal) has been available through the Computer History Museum, [22] along with the QuickDraw 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-dozen clones existed for the Apple II and IBM PC. [26] Some of these included Broderbund's Dazzle Draw for the Apple II, Mouse Systems' PCPaint for the PC, and IBM's Color Paint for the IBM PCjr. [27]

Version history

VersionRelease dateRelease information
1.0January 24, 1984Initial release with System Software 1.0 [28]
1.3May 1984 [29] Released with System Software 1.1 [30]
1.4September 1984Released with Macintosh 512K
1.5April 1985Released with System Software 2.0 [31]
2.0January 1988 [32] Last release

Related Research Articles

In computing, WYSIWYG, an acronym for what you see is what you get, refers to software that allows content to be edited in a form that resembles its appearance when printed or displayed as a finished product, such as a printed document, web page, or slide presentation. WYSIWYG implies a user interface that allows the user to view something very similar to the result while the document is being created. In general, WYSIWYG implies the ability to directly manipulate the layout of a document without having to type or remember names of layout commands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apple Lisa</span> Personal computer by Apple Inc.

Lisa is a desktop computer developed by Apple, produced from January 19, 1983 to August 1, 1986, and succeeded by Macintosh. It is generally considered the first mass-market personal computer operable through a graphical user interface (GUI). In 1983, a machine like the Lisa was still so expensive that it was primarily marketed to individual and small and medium-sized businesses as a groundbreaking new alternative to much bigger and more expensive mainframes or minicomputers such as from IBM, that either require additional, expensive consultancy from the supplier, hiring specially trained personnel, or at least, a much steeper learning curve to maintain and operate. Earlier GUI-controlled personal computers were not mass-marketed; for example, Xerox PARC manufactured its Alto workstation only for Xerox and select partners from the early to mid-1970s.

QuickDraw was the 2D graphics library and associated application programming interface (API) which is a core part of classic Mac OS. It was initially written by Bill Atkinson and Andy Hertzfeld. QuickDraw still existed as part of the libraries of macOS, but had been largely superseded by the more modern Quartz graphics system. In Mac OS X Tiger, QuickDraw has been officially deprecated. In Mac OS X Leopard applications using QuickDraw cannot make use of the added 64-bit support. In OS X Mountain Lion, QuickDraw header support was removed from the operating system. Applications using QuickDraw still ran under OS X Mountain Lion to macOS High Sierra; however, the current versions of Xcode and the macOS SDK do not contain the header files to compile such programmes.

MacWrite is a discontinued WYSIWYG word processor released along with the first Apple Macintosh systems in 1984. Together with MacPaint, it was one of the two original "killer applications" that propelled the adoption and popularity of the GUI in general, and the Mac in particular.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AppleWorks</span> Office software suite from Apple

AppleWorks was an integrated office suite containing a word processor, database, and spreadsheet. It was developed by Rupert Lissner for Apple Computer, originally for the Apple II and launched in 1984. Many enhancements for AppleWorks were created, the most popular being the TimeOut series from Beagle Bros which extended the life of the Apple II version of AppleWorks. Appleworks was later reworked for the Macintosh platform.

Claris International Inc., formerly FileMaker Inc., is a computer software development company formed as a subsidiary company of Apple Computer in 1987. It was given the source code and copyrights to several programs that were owned by Apple, notably MacWrite and MacPaint, in order to separate Apple's application software activities from its hardware and operating systems activities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">System 7</span> Seventh major release of the classic Mac OS (1991)

System 7 was the seventh major release of the classic Mac OS operating system for Macintosh computers, made by Apple Computer. It was launched on May 13, 1991, to succeed System 6 with virtual memory, personal file sharing, QuickTime, TrueType fonts, the Force Quit dialog, and an improved user interface.

MacDraw is a discontinued vector graphics drawing application released along with the first Apple Macintosh systems in 1984. MacDraw was one of the first WYSIWYG drawing programs that could be used in collaboration with MacWrite. It was eventually adapted by Claris and, in the early 1990s, MacDraw Pro was released with color support. MacDraw was the vector-based cousin of MacPaint.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andy Hertzfeld</span> American programmer (born 1953)

Andrew Jay Hertzfeld is an American software engineer who was a member of Apple Computer's original Macintosh development team during the 1980s. After buying an Apple II in January 1978, he went to work for Apple Computer from August 1979 until March 1984, where he was a designer for the Macintosh system software.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">System 6</span> Sixth major release of the classic Mac OS

System 6 is the sixth major release of the classic Mac OS operating system for Macintosh computers, made by Apple Computer. It was released in 1988. It is a monolithic operating system, with cooperative multitasking based on an improved MultiFinder. The boxed version cost US$49, and it was included with all new Macintosh computers until 1991, when it was succeeded by System 7.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susan Kare</span> American artist and graphic designer (born 1954)

Susan Kare is an American artist and graphic designer, who contributed interface elements and typefaces for the first Apple Macintosh personal computer from 1983 to 1986. She was employee #10 and creative director at NeXT, the company formed by Steve Jobs after he left Apple in 1985. She was a design consultant for Microsoft, IBM, Sony Pictures, Facebook, and Pinterest. As of 2023 Kare was an employee of Niantic Labs. As a pioneer of pixel art and of the graphical computer interface, she has been celebrated as one of the most significant designers of modern technology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Macintosh 128K</span> 1984 computer

The Macintosh, later rebranded as the Macintosh 128K, is the original Macintosh personal computer from Apple. It is the first successful mass-market all-in-one desktop personal computer with a graphical user interface, built-in screen and mouse. It was pivotal in establishing desktop publishing as a general office function. The motherboard, a 9 in (23 cm) CRT monochrome monitor, and a floppy drive are in a beige case with integrated carrying handle; it has a keyboard and single-button mouse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Macintosh 512K</span> Revised version of the Macintosh 128K by Apple Computer

The Macintosh 512K is a personal computer that was designed, manufactured and sold by Apple Computer from September 1984 to April 1986. It is the first update to the original Macintosh 128K. It was virtually identical to the previous Macintosh, differing primarily in the amount of built-in random-access memory. The increased memory turned the Macintosh into a more business-capable computer and gained the ability to run more software. It is the earliest Macintosh model that can be used as an AppleShare server and, with a bridge Mac, communicate with modern devices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Digital painting</span> Type of art created using computers

Digital painting is the creation of imagery on a computer, using pixels which are assigned a color. The process uses raster graphics rather than vector graphics, and can render graduated or blended colors in imagery which mimics traditional drawing and painting media.

The Command key, ⌘, formerly also known as the Apple key or open Apple key, is a modifier key present on Apple keyboards. The Command key's purpose is to allow the user to enter keyboard commands in applications and in the system. An "extended" Macintosh keyboard—the most common type—has two command keys, one on each side of the space bar; some compact keyboards have one only on the left.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MacProject</span> Management application

MacProject was a project management and scheduling business application released along with the first Apple Macintosh systems in 1984. MacProject was one of the first major business tools for the Macintosh which enabled users to calculate the "critical path" to completion and estimate costs in terms of money and time. If a project deadline was missed or if available resources changed, MacProject recalculated everything automatically.

XTND was a document import/export system developed by Claris for their products on the Apple Macintosh. Products supporting XTND placed an additional popup menu in the open and save dialogs, allowing users to read and write documents of any supported format. The name is a four-letter contraction of extend, the Mac using four-letter identifiers in its system resource files.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MacTerminal</span> Classic Mac OS terminal emulator

MacTerminal was the first telecommunications and terminal emulation application software program available for the classic Mac OS. MacTerminal enabled users to connect via modem or serial port to bulletin board systems and online services, and to other computers. MacTerminal was capable of emulating the DEC VT100 and other computer terminals.

Macintosh BASIC, or MacBASIC, was both a comprehensive programming language and a fully interactive development environment designed by Apple Computer for the original Macintosh computer. It was developed by original Macintosh team member Donn Denman, with help from fellow Apple programmers Marianne Hsiung, Larry Kenyon, and Bryan Stearns, as part of the original Macintosh development effort starting in late 1981. Andy Hertzfeld said, "A BASIC interpreter would be important, to allow users to write their own programs. We decided we should write it ourselves, instead of relying on a third party, because it was important for the BASIC programs to be able to take advantage of the Macintosh UI, and we didn't trust a third party to 'get it' enough to do it right."

References

  1. 1 2 3 "System-Declared Uniform Type Identifiers". Uniform Type Identifiers Reference. Apple Inc.
  2. 1 2 "MacPaint and QuickDraw Source Code". CHM. July 18, 2010. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  3. ↑ Young, Jeffrey S. (April 1984). "MacPaint: The Electronic Easel". Macworld . Vol. 1, no. 1. pp. 50–61.
  4. ↑ "Definition of MacPaint". PCMAG. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 .Sandberg-Diment, Erik (January 31, 1984). "Software for the Macintosh: Plenty on the way" . New York Times .
  6. 1 2 Elmer-DeWitt, Philip (December 3, 1984). "Let us now praise famous hackers: a new view of some much maligned electronic pioneers". Time . p. 76.
  7. ↑ Hertzfeld, Andy (2005). Revolution in the Valley. O'Reilly. pp. 153–155. ISBN   0-596-00719-1.
  8. 1 2 Walsh, Jeff (November 24, 1997). "Claris puts old Mac applications out to pasture". InfoWorld . Vol. 19, no. 47. p. 35.
  9. ↑ Hertzfeld (2005), p. 174.
  10. 1 2 McGeever, C (September 10, 1984). "Q&A: Susan Kare: 'I Never Planned to Be a Guiding Force in the Macintosh Design'". InfoWorld . Vol. 6, no. 37. p. 64.
  11. 1 2 3 Hertzfeld (2005) , p. 171
  12. ↑ Hertzfeld (2005), p. 172.
  13. ↑ Hertzfeld (2005), p. 147.
  14. ↑ Hertzfeld (2005), pp. 155–156.
  15. 1 2 Atkinson, Bill (April 1985), MacPaint: Version 1.5 , retrieved March 16, 2023
  16. ↑ "Apple Macintosh 18 Page Brochure". DigiBarn Computer Museum. Retrieved April 24, 2006.
  17. ↑ "1984 Newsweek Macintosh ads". GUIdebook, Newsweek . Retrieved April 24, 2006.
  18. ↑ "Apple Computer unit introduces enhanced versions of MacDraw, MacProject, MacWrite and MacPaint". Reuters. January 11, 1988.
  19. 1 2 3 4 Martinez, Carlos Domingo (July 1988). "MacPaint (Software Review)". MacUser . Vol. 4, no. 7. p. 103.
  20. ↑ "Apple fires key programmer". Newsbytes. July 4, 1989.
  21. ↑ "Claris restricts tech support". MacWEEK . February 7, 1989. p. 1.
  22. ↑ "MacPaint and QuickDraw Source Code". Computer History Museum . July 20, 2010.
  23. ↑ Hesseldahl, Erik (July 20, 2010). "Apple Donates MacPaint Source Code To Computer History Museum". businessweek.com. Archived from the original on February 9, 2012.
  24. ↑ Orland, Kyle (June 1, 2015). "The quest to save today's gaming history from being lost forever". Ars Technica . Retrieved January 17, 2016. [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.
  25. ↑ Bartimo, J (October 8, 1984). "Programs Paint a Rosy Picture". InfoWorld . Vol. 6, no. 41. pp. 38–39.
  26. ↑ Bartimo, Jim (February 25, 1985). "Macintosh: Success And Disappointment". InfoWorld . Vol. 7, no. 8. p. 30. Retrieved January 27, 2015.
  27. ↑ Elmer-Dewitt, Philip (March 18, 1985). "The New Breeds of Software". Time. Archived from the original on May 10, 2008. Retrieved April 26, 2008.
  28. ↑ Apple's new MacIntosh: specs
  29. ↑ "Macintosh MacPaint: Fill". Apple Inc. March 9, 1998. Archived from the original on May 30, 2012. Retrieved April 26, 2008.
  30. ↑ Mac Finder..etc.. upgrade available FREE
  31. ↑ "Apple Macintosh before System 7". www.earlymacintosh.org. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
  32. ↑ MacExpo: Bursting at the seams

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.