Microsoft has posted a message on the official Windows blog in which it is overwhelmed by the support shown to paint and says the application will continue to live.
According to the company, MS Paint “will have a new home in the Windows Store, where it will be available for free”. Continuous references to Paint 3D and its 2D drawing capabilities suggest that the classic version of Paint will disappear from the operating system in the short term, but at least fans of the original program will continue to enjoy it in the form of download.
Original news: The Creators’ autumn update will mark the beginning of the end for one of the most primitive and at the same time most beloved applications available in the Windows ecosystem. The painting already mythical approaches the retirement age, as confirmed by Microsoft itself through a page in which details the applications that will be considered obsolete after the release of this update. For many users it will be almost the end of an era.
During it’s more than 30 years of history millions of people learned to draw with this application. Initially distributed as a brush-licensed version, this rudimentary drawing program was included in Windows 1.0 back in 1985 and immediately became one of the most representative applications of the Microsoft platform. The job options were limited and only allowed to draw in black and white, but that did not stop it from becoming an instant success in an era in which personal computing was still something enigmatic for most people.
In terms of interface and performance it can be said that Paint did not come of age until the release of Windows 95. Since then and until the version included in Windows 7 did not undergo major changes, and even the current application continues to show a paradigmatic simplicity. Iconic, even. Its cultural influence has been the object of careful academic analysis and today the drawing competitions with Paint continue to enjoy great popularity, not to a limited extent by the challenge of composing a good image with such an extremely limited tool.
No definite date for removal
The list of features affected by the fall creators of update shows that the paint will be considered an obsolete application after the launch of the application. Be that as it may, this does not mean that it will be eliminated immediately. Absolutely.
The classification of Paint as an obsolete application means that it is no longer in development and that at any moment it could disappear, although possibly Microsoft will not dare to take this step until Paint 3D (which also includes basic 2D drawing functions) is a little more purified. It should be noted that the latest version of Paint already includes a button on the toolbar inviting users to launch Paint 3D.
The weight of nostalgia is important, and the number of fans of Paint is still so great that it will surely remain in use years and years after its foreseeable withdrawal. Despite this, many of the people who continue to use it daily cannot avoid feeling a certain melancholy when they know the news.