By version III, 256 colors and extended SVGA resolutions were supported through the use of hundreds of custom-tailored graphics drivers.
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Also following the lead of Mouse Systems and PCPaint, one of the first pieces of software on the PC to use a mouse, the earliest versions of Paintbrush were distributed (by Microsoft) with a mouse included.
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In 1984 Mouse Systems had released PCPaint to compete with Apple Paint on the Apple II computer and was already positioned to compete with MacPaint on Apple Computer's new Macintosh platform.
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It was originally developed as a response to the first paintbrush program for the IBM PC, PCPaint, which had been released the prior year by Mouse Systems, the company responsible for bringing the mouse to the IBM PC for the first time.