I’m going to date myself here: I wasn’t around for the release of MacPaint in 1984. While I didn’t get to use the revolutionary UI based drawing software until I arrived on the scene in ’88, it still had a profound impact on my interest in using the computer as a creative and artistic medium. For those who were around for the 1984 release which coincided with that of the original Macintosh, MacPaint’s impression was likely even greater. As the precursor to almost all modern imaging software, MacPaint introduced tools such as the “lasso” and “the paint bucket” (which I called “the paint leaker” as a kid.) The “marching ants” selection boxes commonly seen in Adobe software also got their start with MacPaint. Though it may seem like second nature to us today, Apple’s drawing software was the first to let users generate images by interacting with a GUI as opposed to working with code behind the scenes.
Realizing MacPaint’s technical and historical significance, Apple donated the original source code to the Computer History Museum a few days ago. The source can be downloaded here, and is 5,822 lines of Apple Pascal and 3,583 lines of 68000 assembly. A brief history of MacPaint can be viewed on the museum’s website here.