PCPaint
Encyclopedia
PCPaint was the first IBM PC
-based mouse driven GUI
paint program . It was developed by John Bridges
and Doug Wolfgram.
The hardware manufacturer Mouse Systems
bundled PCPaint with millions of computer mice that they sold, making PCPaint also the best-selling MS-DOS
-based paint program of the late 1980s.
In 1982 John Bridges worked for an educational software company, Classroom Consortia Media, Inc., developing and writing Apple and IBM graphics libraries for CCM's software. Bridges wrote all the core graphics code for the first version of PCPaint, and an earlier drawing program called SuperDraw for CCM. He met Doug Wolfgram through a mutual friend, and Wolfram ran a modem dial-up Bulletin Board System
which Bridges joined.
By 1983 Wolfram had begun to write a mouse-driven drawing program called MouseDraw using Bridges' graphics routines. The two collaborated cross country via the BBS, Wolfram in California and Bridges in New York. After some work, Doug Wolfram presented his program to Mouse Systems
. There was some conversation about the program, but Wolfram's proposal "didn't go anywhere" and Doug asked Bridges to include more routines in order to get Mouse Systems interested.
In 1984, Apple introduced its new Macintosh Computer
with its bundled program MacPaint
, and MousePaint for the Apple II
was also released. Mouse Systems became interested in having a similar paint program for the PC to help them sell their mice. John Bridges created a quick mock-up of a new program using still images to do the border and menus, using MousePaint screen captures scaled to PC resolution.
Following the SoftCon trade show in New Orleans in March 1984, Mouse Systems bought exclusive rights to the program and paid Bridges to continue to develop the program under their guidelines, and PCPaint was officially born.,
In creating the first version of PCPaint, Doug had a dual floppy machine with a Computer Innovations compiler on one disk and source code on the other. John had the "luxury" of a 10MB hard disk in his XT. Data was exchanged daily via 1200, then 2400 baud modems.
1990. Also in that year, Doug Wolfgram sold his remaining rights to PCPaint (and its successor, GRASP
) to John Bridges.
shipped PCPaint 1.0, the first GUI
based Paint program for the IBM PC
family of computers. John Bridges
and Doug Wolfgram, were the co-authors of PCPaint 1.0. PCPaint 1.0 saved its graphics in a modified BSaved image format
with the extension of ".PIC".
The release of PCPaint Version 1.5 followed in late 1984, with the additions of graphics image compression
for the .PIC format and support for
"larger-than-screen" images. PCjr support was also added in this version after overcoming severe memory shortage problems getting PCPaint to run on the 128k PCjr.
October 1985 saw the release of PCPaint 2.0. EGA
support and publishing features were added to this version. The .PIC format was further refined, offering support for the rapidly expanding graphics capabilities of the PC and efficient image compression.
PCPaint 3.1 was released in 1989. Unlike previous versions, it was not bundled with mice but was sold as a stand-alone software product. PCPaint 3.1 offered improved text and image handling, provided 36 types of flood and fill, worked with VGA adapters in hi-res 16-color and 256-color modes, allowed the user to save and retrieve files in a variety of intercompatible formats (.PIC
, .GIF
, .PCX
, .IMG), and printed selected portions of images on color or black and white dot matrix
, ink jet, and laser printer
s such as Postscript
and HP Laser Jet
.
PCPaint 3.1 is still in use today by some users of DOS emulation programs like DOSBox
and available for free download.
image format (which was popular at the time) with the file type (extension) of ".PIC". By PCPaint 1.5 this format was extended further to accommodate image compression. With the release of version 2.0 the PICtor PIC image format
was developed almost to its present state, with no similarity to the BSAVE format used by earlier versions.
IBM PC
The IBM Personal Computer, commonly known as the IBM PC, is the original version and progenitor of the IBM PC compatible hardware platform. It is IBM model number 5150, and was introduced on August 12, 1981...
-based mouse driven GUI
Gui
Gui or guee is a generic term to refer to grilled dishes in Korean cuisine. These most commonly have meat or fish as their primary ingredient, but may in some cases also comprise grilled vegetables or other vegetarian ingredients. The term derives from the verb, "gupda" in Korean, which literally...
paint program . It was developed by John Bridges
John Bridges (software developer)
John Bridges is the co-author of the software program PCPaint and primary developer of the program GRASP for Microtex Industries with Doug Wolfgram. He is also the sole author of GLPro and AfterGRASP. His article entitled "Differential Image Compression" was published in the February 1991 issue of...
and Doug Wolfgram.
The hardware manufacturer Mouse Systems
Mouse Systems
Mouse Systems Corporation, formerly Rodent Associates, was founded in 1982 by Steve Kirsch, inventor of the optical mouse. In addition to being a vehicle for Kirsch's invention, the company was responsible for bringing the mouse to the IBM PC for the first time.Like all early optical mice, their...
bundled PCPaint with millions of computer mice that they sold, making PCPaint also the best-selling MS-DOS
MS-DOS
MS-DOS is an operating system for x86-based personal computers. It was the most commonly used member of the DOS family of operating systems, and was the main operating system for IBM PC compatible personal computers during the 1980s to the mid 1990s, until it was gradually superseded by operating...
-based paint program of the late 1980s.
Background
During the dawn of the IBM-PC age in 1983, John Bridges and Doug Wolfgram started work on what became the world's first commercial GUI painting program for the PC. The software was released as PCPaint.In 1982 John Bridges worked for an educational software company, Classroom Consortia Media, Inc., developing and writing Apple and IBM graphics libraries for CCM's software. Bridges wrote all the core graphics code for the first version of PCPaint, and an earlier drawing program called SuperDraw for CCM. He met Doug Wolfgram through a mutual friend, and Wolfram ran a modem dial-up Bulletin Board System
Bulletin board system
A Bulletin Board System, or BBS, is a computer system running software that allows users to connect and log in to the system using a terminal program. Once logged in, a user can perform functions such as uploading and downloading software and data, reading news and bulletins, and exchanging...
which Bridges joined.
By 1983 Wolfram had begun to write a mouse-driven drawing program called MouseDraw using Bridges' graphics routines. The two collaborated cross country via the BBS, Wolfram in California and Bridges in New York. After some work, Doug Wolfram presented his program to Mouse Systems
Mouse Systems
Mouse Systems Corporation, formerly Rodent Associates, was founded in 1982 by Steve Kirsch, inventor of the optical mouse. In addition to being a vehicle for Kirsch's invention, the company was responsible for bringing the mouse to the IBM PC for the first time.Like all early optical mice, their...
. There was some conversation about the program, but Wolfram's proposal "didn't go anywhere" and Doug asked Bridges to include more routines in order to get Mouse Systems interested.
In 1984, Apple introduced its new Macintosh Computer
Macintosh
The Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
with its bundled program MacPaint
MacPaint
MacPaint was a bitmap-based graphics painting software program developed by Apple Computer and released with the original Macintosh personal computer on January 22, 1984. It was sold separately for US$195 with its word processor counterpart, MacWrite. MacPaint was notable because it could generate...
, and MousePaint for the Apple II
Apple II
The Apple II is an 8-bit home computer, one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products, designed primarily by Steve Wozniak, manufactured by Apple Computer and introduced in 1977...
was also released. Mouse Systems became interested in having a similar paint program for the PC to help them sell their mice. John Bridges created a quick mock-up of a new program using still images to do the border and menus, using MousePaint screen captures scaled to PC resolution.
Following the SoftCon trade show in New Orleans in March 1984, Mouse Systems bought exclusive rights to the program and paid Bridges to continue to develop the program under their guidelines, and PCPaint was officially born.,
In creating the first version of PCPaint, Doug had a dual floppy machine with a Computer Innovations compiler on one disk and source code on the other. John had the "luxury" of a 10MB hard disk in his XT. Data was exchanged daily via 1200, then 2400 baud modems.
Authorship and Ownership
John Bridges continued to work on PCPaint on behalf of Mouse Systems until1990. Also in that year, Doug Wolfgram sold his remaining rights to PCPaint (and its successor, GRASP
GRaphics Animation System for Professionals
- GRASP - GRAphical System for Presentation :GRASP was the first multimedia animation program for the IBM PC "Family ofComputers". It was also at one time the most widely used animation format....
) to John Bridges.
Versions
In June 1984, Mouse SystemsMouse Systems
Mouse Systems Corporation, formerly Rodent Associates, was founded in 1982 by Steve Kirsch, inventor of the optical mouse. In addition to being a vehicle for Kirsch's invention, the company was responsible for bringing the mouse to the IBM PC for the first time.Like all early optical mice, their...
shipped PCPaint 1.0, the first GUI
Gui
Gui or guee is a generic term to refer to grilled dishes in Korean cuisine. These most commonly have meat or fish as their primary ingredient, but may in some cases also comprise grilled vegetables or other vegetarian ingredients. The term derives from the verb, "gupda" in Korean, which literally...
based Paint program for the IBM PC
IBM PC
The IBM Personal Computer, commonly known as the IBM PC, is the original version and progenitor of the IBM PC compatible hardware platform. It is IBM model number 5150, and was introduced on August 12, 1981...
family of computers. John Bridges
John Bridges (software developer)
John Bridges is the co-author of the software program PCPaint and primary developer of the program GRASP for Microtex Industries with Doug Wolfgram. He is also the sole author of GLPro and AfterGRASP. His article entitled "Differential Image Compression" was published in the February 1991 issue of...
and Doug Wolfgram, were the co-authors of PCPaint 1.0. PCPaint 1.0 saved its graphics in a modified BSaved image format
BSAVE (graphics image format)
A BSAVE Image as it is referenced in a graphics program is an image file format created usually by saving raw video memory to disk ....
with the extension of ".PIC".
The release of PCPaint Version 1.5 followed in late 1984, with the additions of graphics image compression
PICtor PIC image format
PICtor is an image file format developed by John Bridges, the principal author of PCPaint, the first Paintbrush program for the PC. It was also the native file format for Pictor Paint and GRASP and became the first widely accepted DOS imaging standard.-Typical file format:The PICtor format is a...
for the .PIC format and support for
"larger-than-screen" images. PCjr support was also added in this version after overcoming severe memory shortage problems getting PCPaint to run on the 128k PCjr.
October 1985 saw the release of PCPaint 2.0. EGA
EGA
EGA may stand for*EGA: estimated gestational age, medical*Eagle, Globe, and Anchor, the emblem of the United States Marine Corps*Egyptian German Automotive Company, the Mercedes-Benz manufacturer in Egypt*Elegant Gothic Aristocrat, a fashion line...
support and publishing features were added to this version. The .PIC format was further refined, offering support for the rapidly expanding graphics capabilities of the PC and efficient image compression.
PCPaint 3.1 was released in 1989. Unlike previous versions, it was not bundled with mice but was sold as a stand-alone software product. PCPaint 3.1 offered improved text and image handling, provided 36 types of flood and fill, worked with VGA adapters in hi-res 16-color and 256-color modes, allowed the user to save and retrieve files in a variety of intercompatible formats (.PIC
PICtor PIC image format
PICtor is an image file format developed by John Bridges, the principal author of PCPaint, the first Paintbrush program for the PC. It was also the native file format for Pictor Paint and GRASP and became the first widely accepted DOS imaging standard.-Typical file format:The PICtor format is a...
, .GIF
GIF
The Graphics Interchange Format is a bitmap image format that was introduced by CompuServe in 1987 and has since come into widespread usage on the World Wide Web due to its wide support and portability....
, .PCX
PCX
PCX is an image file format developed by the now-defunct ZSoft Corporation of Marietta, Georgia. It was the native file format for PC Paintbrush and became one of the first widely accepted DOS imaging standards, although it has since been succeeded by more sophisticated image formats, such as GIF,...
, .IMG), and printed selected portions of images on color or black and white dot matrix
Dot matrix
A dot matrix is a 2-dimensional array of LED used to represent characters, symbols and images.Typically the dot matrix is used in older computer printers and many digital display devices. In printers, the dots are usually the darkened areas of the paper...
, ink jet, and laser printer
Laser printer
A laser printer is a common type of computer printer that rapidly produces high quality text and graphics on plain paper. As with digital photocopiers and multifunction printers , laser printers employ a xerographic printing process, but differ from analog photocopiers in that the image is produced...
s such as Postscript
Postscript
A postscript, abbreviated P.S., is writing added after the main body of a letter . The term comes from the Latin post scriptum, an expression meaning "written after" .A postscript may be a sentence, a paragraph, or occasionally many paragraphs added, often hastily and...
and HP Laser Jet
LaserJet
LaserJet as a brand name identifies the line of dry electrophotographic laser printers marketed by the American computer-company Hewlett-Packard . The HP LaserJet was the world's first desktop laser printer.-Technology:...
.
PCPaint 3.1 is still in use today by some users of DOS emulation programs like DOSBox
DOSBox
DOSBox is emulator software that emulates an IBM PC compatible computer running MS-DOS. It is intended especially for use with old PC games. DOSBox is free software....
and available for free download.
Pictor PIC Image Format
PCPaint 1.0 saved its graphics in a modified BSAVEBSAVE (graphics image format)
A BSAVE Image as it is referenced in a graphics program is an image file format created usually by saving raw video memory to disk ....
image format (which was popular at the time) with the file type (extension) of ".PIC". By PCPaint 1.5 this format was extended further to accommodate image compression. With the release of version 2.0 the PICtor PIC image format
PICtor PIC image format
PICtor is an image file format developed by John Bridges, the principal author of PCPaint, the first Paintbrush program for the PC. It was also the native file format for Pictor Paint and GRASP and became the first widely accepted DOS imaging standard.-Typical file format:The PICtor format is a...
was developed almost to its present state, with no similarity to the BSAVE format used by earlier versions.
See also
- GRASPGRaphics Animation System for Professionals- GRASP - GRAphical System for Presentation :GRASP was the first multimedia animation program for the IBM PC "Family ofComputers". It was also at one time the most widely used animation format....
- GLProGLProGLPro is a multimedia authoring application for MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows. GLPro is a contraction of Graphics Language Professional, and was written by John Bridges. GLPro was originally a MS-DOS program released in 1995, written as successor to GRASP, also written by Bridges and marketed by...
- Mouse SystemsMouse SystemsMouse Systems Corporation, formerly Rodent Associates, was founded in 1982 by Steve Kirsch, inventor of the optical mouse. In addition to being a vehicle for Kirsch's invention, the company was responsible for bringing the mouse to the IBM PC for the first time.Like all early optical mice, their...
External links
- Freeware download of PC Paint 3.1
- PCPaint GRASP GLPro History
- PCPaint GRASP GLPro History
- Doug Wolfgram on PCPaint's beginnings
- Pictor PC Paint File Format Summary
- Info on .PIC and .CLP image formats
- PCPAINT/Pictor Page Format Description Format by John Bridges. Document by Microtex Industries, Inc. Revision Date: 2/9/88
- "Doug and Melody Wolfgram", by Cynthia Gregory Wilson
- Dan's 20th Century Abandonware