Microsoft Paint’s Days Could Be Numbered

UPDATE: 7/25/17 10:35 a.m. EDT Microsoft has issued a statement clarifying the status of Microsoft Paint.

The program will no longer be updated or be a standard feature, but available for free at the Microsft store for free.

"Today, we’ve seen an incredible outpouring of support and nostalgia around MS Paint. If there’s anything we learned, it’s that after 32 years, MS Paint has a lot of fans. It’s been amazing to see so much love for our trusty old app. Amidst today’s commentary around MS Paint we wanted to take this opportunity to set the record straight, clear up some confusion and share some good news: MS Paint is here to stay, it will just have a new home soon, in the Windows Store where it will be available for free," read the statment.

Original Article

The iconic Microsoft program Paint may not be around much longer. In a list released last week that helps customers plan around Microsoft program changes, Paint was listed as no longer in development, meaning that its days could be numbered.

The program was initially released in 1985 and turns 32 in November. It was available on the original Windows platform, dubbed Windows 1.0. At the start, the program was a licensed version of a program called PC Paintbrush produced by Zsoft Corporation, according to CNBC Monday.

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The program in its original form only supported 1-bit monochromatic designs and couldn’t have multiple colors until Windows 3.0. Microsoft Paint creations could not be saved as more universal file formats like JPEG, GIF and PNG until Windows 98.

Windows released an updated spinoff of its original program called Paint 3D last year, which incorporated elements of the original program combined with another program 3D Builder.

The program hasn’t been officially killed off yet, in a release Microsoft said that its list of programs that are going out of development is subject to change.

“This list is intended to help customers consider these removals and deprecations for their own planning. The list is subject to change and may not include every deprecated feature or functionality,” read the Microsoft release.

Microsoft Paint users who remember the program fondly reacted with both nostalgia and sadness on Twitter Monday.

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