Turns out Windows XP's iconic default desktop wallpaper is actually a photo of a real life hill in the Bay Area. I went and found the hill, plus the amazing 79-year-old man who took the photo.

The Bliss' was Windows XP's default wallpaper and is mostly unedited thanks to a vintage camera and a film. x O'Rear used a 1980's Mamiya RZ67 SLR camera and a Fujifilm Velvia film to shoot the image.

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.

The picture known as "Bliss" soon became one of the most viewed photographs in the world when it was set as the default desktop background in Windows XP.

The iconic Windows XP default desktop wallpaper of a sloped green hill beneath a bright blue sky is one of the most viewed photos in the world, but surprisingly difficult to locate in reality.

He claimed they were working on modern adaptations of the Windows XP menus for Windows 10 and Windows 11, to be released by the end of the month. Below is a screenshot of one of these adaptations.