Last month, the developer of Paint.NET confirmed plans to bring the app to the Windows Store. Now, Rick Brewster has shared a few more details on those plans.
Paint.NET is a popular image editing application that's been around for over a decade. It was originally built to offer a more powerful and versatile alternative to Microsoft Paint, which shipped with earlier versions of Windows. But Paint.NET evolved into a much more complete editing tool, and now includes many features available in professional software suites such as Adobe Photoshop. It will join over 1,000 other apps added to the Windows Store using Microsoft's Desktop Bridge conversion tool, formerly known as Project Centennial.
Brewster previously said that his priority was to get the next update out for the app, version 4.0.17, before then focusing on pushing the app to the Store. That update will include a new feature:
4.0.17 will also bring “native” portable-ness to the app, by way of a .exe.config setting to redirect the app’s settings into a local JSON file (instead of going to the registry). Should be a neat feature for some people.
Brewster said yesterday that he's currently away on a work trip, but added...
...when I’m back, my plan is: 1) release 4.0.17 which has some important fixes for performance and high-DPI, and then 2) focus exclusively on bringing 4.0.17 to the Windows Store.
He didn't commit to a firm date for when Paint.NET will make its Windows Store debut, explaining: "I'd love to give a date but I've always gotten them wrong."
Brewster also referred to the question of how he plans to make money on the Windows Store from his app. He said he's "still planning on a price of 'free'" for the app, and while he acknowledged that he hasn't yet worked out how he'll monetize it, he explained:
If I wait to figure out both of these things (money + Store logistics), I’ll procrastinate forever and neither will ever happen. It’s just something I’ve learned about my own psychology: don’t let X delay Y, just do Y and X will sort itself out later.
You can track the latest releases of Paint.NET, and other popular Windows applications, on the Neowin Software hub.
Source: Paint.NET
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