MacPaint Art from the Mid-80s Still Looks Great Today (blog.decryption.net.au)

Article summary

The article showcases MacPaint art from the mid-80s, highlighting the creativity and skill of artists working with limited technology. The author discovered these artworks on the Discmaster CD-ROM and shares some of their favorite pieces. The article also mentions the Amiga computer and its capabilities for computer art. The author expresses interest in tracking down the original artists to see how their work has evolved.

Main themes

• retro computer art
• MacPaint and Deluxe Paint
• early web development challenges
• browser compatibility issues
• nostalgia for old technology
• creative limitations and aesthetic appeal

What commenters say

• Deluxe Paint for the Amiga was a powerful tool for creating art, with unique limitations that led to distinctive styles.
• Netscape 4 was a problematic browser release, with issues such as memory leaks, crashing, and incomplete CSS support.
• The early days of the web were marked by difficulties in achieving cross-browser compatibility, with different browsers rendering pages in inconsistent ways.
• The art created with old computer systems still holds up today, with some commentators arguing that the limitations of these systems actually contributed to their aesthetic appeal.
• The early computer art scene was characterized by a sense of wonder and creativity, with artists pushing the boundaries of what was possible with limited technology.
• The comparison between MacPaint and Deluxe Paint highlights the different design choices and priorities of the two systems, despite similar underlying technical constraints.
• Some commentators disagree on the quality of the art created with old computer systems, with some finding it less impressive than others.
• The discussion of old computer systems and software also touches on the theme of nostalgia, with some commentators fondly remembering the challenges and quirks of working with these systems.