Microsoft Paint to be killed off after 32 years

[Latitude]

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/ ... ?CMP=fb_gu

[adisib]

Another in the list of terrible moves. Also a strange one, considering that Microsoft has really been targeting artists lately (both musical and graphical) especially with the Surface.

[satrow]

Maybe after 33-35 years, it's still slated for the next W10 upgrade, 1709.

It'll still be part of W10 1607 until January 2023 for Clover Trail devices (as well as W8.1).

[Moonchild]

Good riddance, I say.

[lightning slinger]

To quote Mark Twain...

....the report of my death has been grossly exaggerated.

https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperi ... 5WiSTSq.97

[lyceus]

To quote Mark Twain...

....the report of my death has been grossly exaggerated.

https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperi ... 5WiSTSq.97

Actually it is not the same to have a "free download" in the app store than to have it installed from a clean install.

Any computer that is not connected to internet (lots of them are) and people that don't want to sell their soul for an Microsoft account won't be able to get paint. Paint 3D is a bloated app that is not the same and is not useful for the main use of Paint: Get a quick screenshot and do a small edit.

Windows 10 is starting to look like Android: A naked OS that hopes to be useful if the user is enough lucky to find an "app" in the store that suit their needs. In the case of Android is a lost cause; because behind the freeloaders even the people who pay for programs, often see that need to pay again for get rid of new ads or to use new features.

[John connor]

Exactly. Windows is trying hard to copy the asinine "smart device" market very hard. It's as analogous to Firefox copying Chrome and we know how that's going. For me personally, it will be a very long time before I use Winblows 10. I use Winblows 7 and thankfully my computer build I made on May 6th allows Wins 7. But I know that will change as motherboard manufactures make their drivers Win 10 only. When that time comes I'll just use Pfsense and block all of M$'s ASNs. I don't appreciate the forced updates and spying for ADware purposes in MY OS that I payed for. I don't care about this, "It's still not yours crap." I freaking payed a fortune for that OS! I'd use Linux, but it's just not there to do what I want and play the games I want. And Linux and there sudo this and that crap drives me nuts! I'm just not a command line person. I just want to point and click.

I like how they call it an "update." LMAO! So now if you want to post a screenshot you'll have to use a third party paint program. Which I do use, but for others they most likely don't.

[137ben]

For the role of a light-weight, basic drawing program, I personally find KDE KolourPaint preferable to MS Paint. Yea, I know the two aren't even available on the same operating system, but I don't think Windows 10 is good for a light-weight basic anything nowadays.

I've tried Paint 3D, and it's not bad, but it's not a basic drawing program either. If you are going to a full-featured professional drawing program, it makes me wonder why you aren't using Inkscape, Krita, or even Adobe Illustrator instead of Paint 3D.

[John connor]

I have been using Photofiltre for like ever.

http://www.photofiltre-studio.com/news-en.htm

[CharmCityCrab]

Any computer that is not connected to internet (lots of them are) and people that don't want to sell their soul for an Microsoft account won't be able to get paint.

I don't think there are a lot of Windows computers running modern versions of Windows that *never* connect to the Internet these days. I could say that's because of various cultural and technological trends, the way software functions these days, greater Internet penetration in the world, and all the usual reasons people cite, and I'd probably be right in terms of some of the factors that cause people to voluntarily connect all their Windows PCs to the Internet at least every once in a while, but actually, what I had in mind when I typed that first sentence was something more practical:

On all versions Windows 8.0 and higher, as well as most installations of Windows 7 (This got added to Windows 7 after its initial release, but if you bought it in the last few years, it was probably preinstalled), there is a feature where if a computer doesn't connect to the Internet and ping Microsoft's servers every few months (I don't recall exactly how many months, I think its at least 3 and definitely no more than 12, I'm going to guess 6), Windows assumes that your operating system is pirated and starts to take the usual anti-piracy measures that are common when Windows thinks its been pirated. I think we're talking stuff like a forced black wallpaper with a watermark pointing out it's presumed non-licensed status, nagware type popups urging you to correct the situation, etc..

I can't say that I've seen it personally, as I've never had a computer since long before this program came out that was offline for so long consecutively, but I remember reading articles when the update to Windows 7 that first pushed this came out. I also have a friend who works in IT and says he sees this occasionally because some PCs are kept offline for extended periods of time for reasons that wouldn't apply to most users.

So, everyone with recent versions of Windows do need to at least minimally get online every x number of months to avoid a fate far more annoying than having to download MS Paint from the Windows Store. Presumably when they do make their at least however many of months connection to the Internet to prevent the anti-piracy measures from kicking in, they could also download MS Paint from the Windows Store at jrecurring uncture if so desired.

[CharmCityCrab]

Besides, the unfortunate reality is that specific incarnations of specific programs don't stay officially supported forever. There are a couple of casual games I have that came with Windows 3.11 for workgroups that I can't use on 64 bit Windows because they dropped the 16 bit API. There's also a top-selling strategy game I like that doesn't work with modern Windows either. Its just what happens.

I wish someone would come up with a good 16 bit Windows emulator so I could play those games, but I can't (Oddly, there are DOS emulators for even older games/programs, and of course newer ones work, but 16 bit Windows programs from the era in between don't). Put compatible 32 pr 64 bit versions in the Windows Store for free and I'd jump all over them.

That MS Paint fans may soon have to either adapt to Microsoft's new program that does some of the same thing or download the classic version from the Windows Store doesn't seem like a big deal to me. That program is just as ancient as some of the old 16 bit programs I like that haven't run for years or been available anywhere.

Not trying to discount anyone's pain. I'm just saying its hardly unprecedented.

[CharmCityCrab]

Oh, and for screenshots on modern Windows, there is a built in snipping tool. Find it and pin it to the right of your start menu and you're good for that particular feature. And it'll work for everything, not just art.

[John connor]

Besides, the unfortunate reality is that specific incarnations of specific programs don't stay officially supported forever. There are a couple of casual games I have that came with Windows 3.11 for workgroups that I can't use on 64 bit Windows because they dropped the 16 bit API. There's also a top-selling strategy game I like that doesn't work with modern Windows either. Its just what happens.

I wish someone would come up with a good 16 bit Windows emulator so I could play those games, but I can't (Oddly, there are DOS emulators for even older games/programs, and of course newer ones work, but 16 bit Windows programs from the era in between don't). Put compatible 32 pr 64 bit versions in the Windows Store for free and I'd jump all over them.

That MS Paint fans may soon have to either adapt to Microsoft's new program that does some of the same thing or download the classic version from the Windows Store doesn't seem like a big deal to me. That program is just as ancient as some of the old 16 bit programs I like that haven't run for years or been available anywhere.

Not trying to discount anyone's pain. I'm just saying its hardly unprecedented.

Off-topic:
You could always try installing Windows 3.11 or Win 98se in VMware.

[hobbledehoy899]

I wish someone would come up with a good 16 bit Windows emulator so I could play those games

Funny thing is that Wine still has 16-bit Windows compatibility. (I realize that this might not fit your definition of "good."

[CharmCityCrab]

Off-topic:
You could always try installing Windows 3.11 or Win 98se in VMware.

I thought about it some years ago, but it did not seem as though Microsoft was selling licenses anymore, which meant that the only legal way to acquire it would have been through ebay where one would be paying for the collector's value of the box and the floppy disk (Which I don't care about), and then would need to buy a floppy disk drive with a USB port to install the OS in the VM. It seemed too expensive for what I was trying to do, and I shy away from piracy (The other way of doing it), so my options were pretty much exhausted.

[CharmCityCrab]

Funny thing is that Wine still has 16-bit Windows compatibility. (I realize that this might not fit your definition of "good."

Amusingly, one of the three things I was trying to get working did work under WINE at one point, probably a decade ago or more, but no longer did a few years thereafter. It was strange since, as you said, WINE in theory still had 16-bit compatibility. Maybe it suffered a regression.

[hobbledehoy899]

Amusingly, one of the three things I was trying to get working did work under WINE at one point, probably a decade ago or more, but no longer did a few years thereafter. It was strange since, as you said, WINE in theory still had 16-bit compatibility. Maybe it suffered a regression.

I've found that most 16-bit software works better in a 32-bit Wine prefix.

[lyceus]

[..] Windows assumes that your operating system is pirated and starts to take the usual anti-piracy measures that are common when Windows thinks its been pirated. I think we're talking stuff like a forced black wallpaper with a watermark pointing out it's presumed non-licensed status, nagware type popups urging you to correct the situation, etc..

For your comments you are from first world, lucky.

Some info. Are you willing to pay 0.10 USD for a MB of data? Yes, that is what you need to pay for Telcel Mexico for connect in 3G lines data packs. Of course you have plans that give you 150Mb per 2 USD but the cons is that you have 1 hour to use it or the data is lost. Or you pay 50 USD monthly for a WIFI that is sold as 1Mpbs but in the real world the lines are oversold and you get 128-256 Kpbs. Speed like US or Europe can cost more than 100 USD/month. In my country 40% of the PC don't have Internet connection and is a common practice that people pay for get a "forced downgrade" to windows 7/8.1 (legal or illegally). The Chromebooks here are just a joke, Google sells them with a 256Mb data plan free monthly and that is lost in updates.

So well if you are willing to pay like 5 USD for get paint, and I am sure you have that and more then is a shiny future in your side.

In my side, I see a plenty of Windows XP and 7 offline machines for deal with, none Win 10 offline yet.

[Moonchild]

For me, the bottom line remains: even though with a lot of effort you can possibly create something nice in paint, no self-respecting artist would ever (want to) use it.
So who is it for then? Someone needing make a quick scribble/sketch to show someone else? That's what we have whiteboarding for. Basic cropping/adding text? You can do that in anything (even e.g. the Fireshot extension I have in Pale Moon... ).

It's old, way overdue to be removed or replaced with something better. I don't understand why people make such a fuss about it, because it's expected, needed, and overdue to happen.

[Tomaso]

with a lot of effort you can possibly create something nice in paint

Here's an example:
http://diamonster.deviantart.com/art/po ... -17908194/
:)