Bill Atkinson
Apple programmer who created MacPaint, QuickDraw and HyperCard
- Lived
- 74 yrs
- 1951 – 2025
- Works listed
- 3
- Software, Photography book
- Honours
- 0
- Awards & distinctions
- Profile views
- 3
- 0 followers
Bill Atkinson was an American programmer who wrote QuickDraw, the graphics engine of the original Macintosh, and MacPaint, and created HyperCard, an early hypertext system. He co-founded General Magic and later became a nature photographer. He died in 2025.
Biography
Apple
Atkinson studied at the University of California, San Diego, under Jef Raskin, who brought him to Apple in 1978 as employee number 51.
QuickDraw and MacPaint
He wrote QuickDraw, which drew graphics and overlapping windows, for the Lisa and Macintosh, and the MacPaint drawing program (1984), inventing tools such as the lasso and marching ants.
HyperCard
HyperCard (1987) let users build linked “stacks” of cards with buttons and scripts. It inspired the web and the game Myst.
General Magic and photography
In 1990 he co-founded General Magic. He became a celebrated nature photographer and created the PhotoCard app. He died of pancreatic cancer in June 2025.
Timeline
-
1951
Born in United States
-
1978
Joins Apple
-
1983
QuickDraw on the Lisa
-
1984
MacPaint
-
1987
HyperCard
-
1990
Co-founds General Magic
-
2004
Within the Stone photography book
-
2025
Dies
-
2025
Died, aged 74
Notable works
-
1984
MacPaint Software
-
1987
HyperCard Software
-
2004
Within the Stone Photography book
Did you know?
-
1
He invented the rounded-rectangle drawing routine after Steve Jobs pointed out rounded corners everywhere.
-
2
He wrote “-2000” on a form asking how many lines of code he had written that week, after simplifying code.
-
3
His photography focused on polished stone slices.
Connections
Related people
Frequently asked
Who is Bill Atkinson?
Bill Atkinson was an American programmer who wrote QuickDraw, the graphics engine of the original Macintosh, and MacPaint, and created HyperCard, an early hypertext system. He co-founded General Magic and later became a nature photographer. He died in 2025.
When did Bill Atkinson die?
Bill Atkinson died on 5 June 2025 at the age of 74.
Where is Bill Atkinson from?
Bill Atkinson was born in United States.
What is Bill Atkinson known for?
Bill Atkinson is best known for QuickDraw; MacPaint (1984); HyperCard (1987); General Magic; nature photography.
References
- Bill Atkinson — Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Bill Atkinson — IMDb. IMDb. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Bill Atkinson — Goodreads author page. Goodreads. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Official website. billatkinson.com. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Bill Atkinson (Q92788) — structured data. Wikidata. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
Includes material from the Wikipedia article “Bill Atkinson”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. That text is available under the same licence. Learn more
External links
About this profile
- Researched by the TrackFame editorial team; reviewed by Sanjay Sokal under our editorial policy
- First published 4 November 2026
- Last updated
Cite this page
“Bill Atkinson.” TrackFame, last updated 5 November 2026. https://trackfame.com/person/bill-atkinson
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