Paint.NET achieves linux compatibility in just three weeks with AI assistance

Developer Rick Brewster announced on September 1st the release of Paint.NET 5.2 Build 9739, which experimentally supports Linux via Wine. The project faced challenges due to the lack of native Direct2D support in Wine, prompting Brewster to develop an internal graphics API solution. He credited AI tool Claude Code with enabling the Linux port in three weeks, surpassing 12 years of previous efforts. Brewster noted the current version has performance issues and bugs, making it unstable for general use. Paint.NET is a free raster image editor originally developed as a student project at Washington State University with Microsoft support. It aimed to replace Windows 'Paint' and evolved into a tool between system drawing utilities and professional software like Photoshop and GIMP. Brewster emphasized the significance of the AI-assisted breakthrough, highlighting its potential to reshape cross-platform development for similar projects.