tech that...
A ROUND-UP OF THE LATEST NEWS IN THE DIGITAL WORLD
MS PAINT REACHES THE END
ONE of the most illustrious pieces of software ever shipped appears to have enjoyed some kind of reprieve after being declared dead.
Microsoft revealed earlier this week that its iconic Paint programme was to be “deprecated” in the next version of Windows, which means it is “no longer being developed and may be removed from future releases.” Which more or less means it’s dead.
However, Microsoft later confirmed that, while Paint is being removed from Windows, it will live on as a free legacy download from the Windows App Store. Not quite alive, then, but not quite dead either.
It seems Microsoft, taken aback by the outpouring of love for Paint after its initial announcement, has tried to spin its removal from Windows as a change of heart.
But essentially, if it’s not on your PC by default, are you really going to take the time and the trouble to go and download it? Also, if your computer is a work device, you probably won’t be able to, anyway.
Paint has been part of Windows from the stars, shipping as part of the OS since version 1.0 in 1985.
It was one of the first graphic creation tools, but has always been rather limited in its scope, and it has long since been superseded by better and more capable apps.
DRONE ON ABOUT REGULATIONS
THE government has revealed plans to regulate the use of drones – small unmanned aerial vehicles often fitted with cameras – and create a database of drone owners.
In plans largely applauded by both drone makers and users, owners will have to gain a licence to fly, which will require registering online and taking a test to make sure rules about where and when drones can be flown are understood. All drones that weigh more than 250g will be subject to the regulations – a weight arrived at after studying new research into how heavy a drone has to be before it can do damage to airplanes and helicopters.
The regulations are the result of a public consultation that was carried out earlier this year. No time scale has been revealed about when the