good program comparable to mspaint?

Most free programs are going to be available mainly for the X11 environment, such as MacGIMP. I wouldn't call this a simple program, though--it's quite complex. If you'd like a simpler program, AppleWorks at $79 should do the job, and you get a word processor, spreadsheet, etc. to boot. Or you could buy Photoshop Elements for $89 and get a nearly full-featured photo editor. Or for about the same amount, you could subscribe to .mac for a year and download Photostudio X for free.

I like Teal - http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/21387 ... it's pretty comparable to paint..... still under development, but it's fun...

if you're looking for something geared more toward children you should get either:

Palette - http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/16766

or

Tux Paint - http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/19980

Try GraphicConverter. It's the poor man's photoshop.

http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/11559