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Like Windows XP itself, Microsoft's 'Bliss' image of rolling green hills has aged, and evolved. Here's its story— and what the real-world site looks like today.
Microsoft finally killed off support for Windows XP this week, but the company decided to wax nostalgic about one of the most memorable parts of the operating system—that serene, hilly landscape ...
An iconic shot of a bucolic paradise has turned into a very personal nightmare for Charles O’Lear, the man who captured the photo and sold it to Microsoft for Windows XP.
Everyone has seen the Windows XP desktop image called Bliss. It’s been ubiquitous for 13 years. And you’ve probably always thought that the serene hillside is kind of corny and probably fake.
O’Lear took a one-time payment for the photo rather than trying to negotiate a license fee. Even a tiny fee per Windows XP license would have yielded him a hefty payday over the years.