Microsoft CTO ports 20-year-old Windows tool to macOS in two days with AI

Microsoft Azure CTO Mark Russinovich used AI to port ZoomIt, a Windows tool with over 20 years of history, to Apple's macOS platform in just two days. ZoomIt is a screen zoom, live annotation, and recording tool developed and maintained by Russinovich himself.

After entering about 12 prompts over a weekend, AI completed the basic port in under 30 minutes. Over the next two days, Russinovich kept using AI to refine the features, and about 90% of the port is now complete, including break timer, panoramic screenshot, video recording, video editing, and Demo Mirror.

The port involved differences in macOS interface guidelines, system permissions, screenshot and key handling. Russinovich said AI helped handle platform mechanisms he had planned to learn. The Mac version also restored the DemoType feature for typing preset text during presentations or teaching.

ZoomIt for Mac is currently free and open source, requires macOS 14 Sonoma or later, and can be installed via Homebrew or Microsoft's GitHub page.