I have plenty of Mac keyboards, but I always love getting #VintageApple themed keycap sets.
They're all fairly similar, but PBTfans '1984' has some unique #MacPaint inspired 'novelties' mods, which are so cool.
I have plenty of Mac keyboards, but I always love getting #VintageApple themed keycap sets.
They're all fairly similar, but PBTfans '1984' has some unique #MacPaint inspired 'novelties' mods, which are so cool.
The blank canvas of MacPaint, the moment you open it, still feels like pure magic to me. People keep creating incredible things with it—but just a second before any of that exists, there’s only that quiet, perfect white space. Surrounded by just the tools you’ll need—nothing less, nothing more.
MacPaint Art from the Mid-80s Still Looks Great Today
Color cycling FTW. Lost art!!!
Also, it's a much closer analogy to the moving beer signs that inspired #BillAtkinson to create the "marching ants" effect in #MacPaint.
As sad as it is to remember Bill Atkinson’s legacy in the wake of his passing, it makes me deeply happy that this was the post that resonated most. Humanity, empathy, and respect are still the best algorithm. Give yourself a tap, #Mastodon.
#billatkinson #macintosh #retrocomputing #retromacintosh
#hypercard #macpaint #vintagecomputing #socialmedia https://masto.pt/@OnceUponAGoblin/114643432853682723
Kopf hinter #Quickdraw:
#Entwickler Bill #Atkinson mit 74 Jahren verstorben
Durch seine #Arbeit an #Quickdraw und #Macpaint gilt er als wichtiger #Apple- #Entwickler. Nun ist #BillAtkinson an Bauchspeicheldrüsenkrebs verstorben.
#SteveJobs holte Atkinson als Mitarbeiter Nr. 51 zu #Apple und zum ersten Entwicklungsteam der Firma. Dem #Programmierer ist die #Quickdraw- #Bilschirmtechnologie mit ihren auffälligen abgerundeten Ecken zu verdanken.
RIP Bill Atkinson, creator of #HyperCard, #MacPaint, and much more. His software was way ahead of its time.
Myst and Riven co-creator Robyn Miller reflected on how much they owed to his software: https://bsky.app/profile/tinselman.bsky.social/post/3lr4ephezhc2g
https://appleinsider.com/articles/25/06/07/bill-atkinson-pioneering-early-apple-engineer-dies-at-74
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Thank you Bill for all you’ve done. We’re running MacPaint today at the computer museum.
I’m not a fan of self-boosting, but I realised I was remiss in not putting some hashtags on this post after it started gaining the small amount of traction it has.
For those who boosted or liked the original, I’m not asking or expecting a repeat. I just hope with these hashtags it gets a little more traction to acknowledge the genius of #BillAtkinson, who affected so many lives through the genius work he did.
I know he impacted many aspects of my life through the work he did on the Mac, the original System, and MacPaint, and it seems many others were similarly impacted.
It’s been truly inspiring for me to see Mac legends talk how he put the lie to the saying “Never meet your heroes”, as he seemed to have been a hero to many, and never a disappointment in person.
RIP, Bill.
#RIPBillAtkinson #HyperCard #MystGame #Lisa #ClassicMacOS #QuickDraw #Dithering #AtkinsonDithering #ClassicMacs #ClassicMacintosh #Mac128K #MarchingAnts #MacPaint #FatBits
https://social.europlus.zone/@europlus/114645820628589016
RIP Bill Atkinson - one of the original Macintosh team.
He created both MacPaint & Hypercard which had a big influence on me as a kid.
https://appleinsider.com/articles/25/06/07/bill-atkinson-pioneering-early-apple-engineer-dies-at-74
OMG I've never seen this video containing a panel by the team behind the original Macintosh together with Steve Jobs.
Bill Atkinson RIP gives a demo of MacPaint around 29 minutes in. Remember kids this at first was painting software on a greyscale display, not colour.
RIP Bill Atkinson
Go ahead. Take a look at the source code of Bill Atkinson's MacPaint and QuickDraw.
'MacPaint was written by Bill Atkinson, who was a member of the original Macintosh development team. He based it on his earlier LisaSketch (also called SketchPad) for the unsuccessful Apple Lisa computer, so he originally called it MacSketch. He started work on the Mac version in early 1983.
'Atkinson also created Quickdraw first for the Lisa, as LisaGraf. Andy Hertzfeld, another key member of the team, considers QuickDraw “the single most significant component of the original Macintosh technology” in its ability to “push pixels around in the frame buffer at blinding speeds to create the celebrated user interface.”'
https://computerhistory.org/blog/macpaint-and-quickdraw-source-code/
The genius behind MacPaint, HyperCard, and so many other groundbreaking creations has left us. I like to think that Bill Atkinson is now in a better place—one where HyperCard was never discontinued, and its legacy lives on, evolving as it always should have.
Oh, you're right! I don't think I quite had an eye for it back then, but I noticed it in the classic tiger and the little baby in the #HyperCard stacks, possibly also the Japanese woodcarving of the lady with the comb in #MacPaint.
After you've seen #FloydSteinburg a hundred times, you notice when pictures have different patterns than you're used to ;)
“One of two launch applications for the #Apple #Macintosh in 1984, #MacPaint is emblematic of the Macintosh’s early quirky revolutionary branding, focus on ease of use, and appeal to artistic customers. Using the source code, we examine the design and implementation of the application.” https://ztoz.blog/posts/macpaint-source-code/
A Look Inside MacPaint - Usually when we talk about retrocomputing, we want to look at — and in — some old ... - https://hackaday.com/2025/04/05/a-look-inside-macpaint/ #retrocomputing #macintosh #macpaint
A Look Inside MacPaint https://hackaday.com/2025/04/05/a-look-inside-macpaint/ #Retrocomputing #macintosh #macpaint
A great new article by Jeffrey Starr, Investigating MacPaint's Source Code: https://ztoz.blog/posts/macpaint-source-code/
Ok, guys...
I'm not sure I can quite express how bizarrely freeing and enjoyable this incredibly derpy little exercise was.
I'm definitely going to make a habit of drawing more, even though I really don't know how!
Because NoneHitWonder was right! The schlockiest napkin scrawl is better than the most sublime AI slop!
I was thinking about buying a used #Wacom tablet to draw on, because it would be fun to create #monochrome art in #G/IMP (or heck, even #MacPaint via emulation!!), but I think I'll just continue using my fountain pens, and add doodles to my dot-lined paper notebook.
Thanks to the following amazing people for inspiring me: