Microsoft acquired the rights to Bliss in 2000, and from the company's widespread use of the photo as the official Windows XP wallpaper, it's speculated to be the most viewed photograph in history.

The year before, we had Paint. This year, we have arguably the most iconic Windows "thing," the Windows XP default wallpaper, also known as "Bliss." Buy the 2023 Windows Ugly Sweater now!

And, according to my peepers, Windows has never had a better aesthetic combination than the blue taskbar, green Start button, and gentle rolling hills of the Windows XP default wallpaper.

Charles O’Rear, the photographer behind the iconic Windows XP ‘Bliss’ wallpaper, has expressed mixed feelings about the deal that made his image one of the most viewed ever. In 1996, while visiting ...

It’s, however, not true that Bliss Hill — the lush, green hill best known as Windows XP’s default wallpaper — was among the areas affected.