Microsoft: We're Not Killing MS Paint Exactly

News that Microsoft might kill its venerable Paint program prompted "an incredible outpouring of support and nostalgia," the company says in a blog post. So much so that Microsoft issued a clarification on Tuesday: MS Paint won't die but will instead become an app available for free download in the Windows Store. It will no longer, however, be a core part of the Windows program and will instead be replaced by the more modern Paint 3D. That program incorporates much of classic Paint's functionality, a spokesperson tells Motherboard.

The distinction could be a pain for those who prefer the original version, notes CNN, using the example of someone who uses Paint on a work computer but doesn't have the authority to install apps. At the AV Club, Sam Barsanti doesn't think Paint fans should consider this latest development to be lifesaving news. From here on out, it's clear that Microsoft will focus on Paint 3D instead of Paint: "In other words, it's technically not dead, but it is going away." (More Microsoft stories.)