Free Installs Inpaint: The Challenge of Running Paint.NET on Linux

When it comes to installing Paint.NET on Linux, the journey can be quite complicated. I've encountered several issues while attempting to report these problems to the Wine developers, only to find that the installer skips crucial steps, making it a daunting task.

Fortunately, there's a glimmer of hope in the form of the portable version of Paint.NET, available for download on GitHub. This cross-platform version has shown promising results on newer systems, but unfortunately, not all components are compatible with Linux.

As an avid user of Paint.NET, I've noticed that the latest versions run smoothly on Windows, while Pinta, another popular painting app, falls short in terms of performance and stability. The issue lies in the fact that Pinta is based on an outdated open-source version of Paint.NET, which was last updated years ago.

Older versions of Paint.NET can be made to work with Wine, but above 4.0, they become incompatible due to missing Direct2D and Windows Animation Manager components. It's unfortunate to note that the developers seem to prioritize Windows over other platforms, and since Paint.NET is no longer open-source, users are unable to modify or swap components that might work on Linux.

In my opinion, it would be worth paying a premium for Paint.NET if it allowed us to run the latest version with full performance (or at least 90% of its Windows counterpart). The idea of having access to the same apps and games as Windows users, including the Windows Store and Game Pass, is tantalizing. However, given the complexity and incompatibility issues, running Paint.NET on Linux seems like a distant dream.

While it's not impossible to imagine a future where Paint.NET is compatible with Linux, I fear that it may take some time – possibly even years – for such a solution to emerge. In the meantime, those interested in using Paint.NET will need to rely on older versions or alternative painting apps, which can't match the performance and features of the latest Paint.NET releases.

Free instals Inpaint