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Microsoft's Ugly Sweater For 2023 is Windows XP's Iconic Default Wallpaper (arstechnica.com) 36

Posted by msmash from the how-about-that dept.
Microsoft is returning to the Bliss hill once again with this year's entry in its now-traditional ugly retro-computing sweater series. From a report: Blue hemming at the bottom and on the sleeves evokes Windows XP's bright-blue taskbar, and in case people don't immediately recognize Bliss as "a computer thing," there's also a giant mouse pointer hovering over it. The sweater is available from size small up to a 3XL, and costs $70 regardless of which version you buy. All sizes are currently expected to arrive sometime between December 2 and 6.
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Microsoft's Ugly Sweater For 2023 is Windows XP's Iconic Default Wallpaper More

Microsoft's Ugly Sweater For 2023 is Windows XP's Iconic Default Wallpaper

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  • Heh. (Score:4, Funny)

    by TWX ( 665546 ) on Tuesday November 28, 2023 @04:53PM (#64039083)

    Back when XP was the contemporary MS OS, we had a kiosk computer for checking in busted equipment being brought in for depot service. Because the workorder system was literally running on an Access 97 runtime the kiosk was just left logged in with a generic account. We'd just started buying LCD panel monitors and had seen a couple of them come in with broken screens, where there was some image displayed but a bunch of garble. I found a "broken bliss" background, it was like the damage that an LCD would experience superimposed over the bliss sky and field. I set that image as the kiosk computer's wallpaper.

    One tech came in, saw the "broken" screen on the kiosk, and swapped it. He saw that the image was still broken, so he swapped it again. Still broken, he swapped it again. Then he started complaining to the senior bench tech that all of the LCD panels sitting on the ready-shelf were actually busted.

    He never noticed that the taskbar and icons were in front of the breaks. And if he'd bothered opening the workorder system he clearly would have seen it in front of the supposed breaks too.

    • I broke into one of my coworkers XP machines, and and installed the BSOD screensaver. He never figured out why his computer kept crashing but any music he had playing would just keep going.
      I heard he eventually had to wipe and reinstall. I never told him what I had done. :)

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Askmum ( 1038780 )
        What we did was make a screenshot of the desktop, then set that as the background and remove all the icons.

        People went crazy clicking on icons that would never open any programs.

        • What we did was make a screenshot of the desktop, then set that as the background and remove all the icons.

          People went crazy clicking on icons that would never open any programs.

          There was an extended prank war going on.
          Someone had already done what you described.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by TWX ( 665546 )

          We would create a folder with a rude name, screencap, merge the screencap with a the original file so that only the background image plus the fake rude folder was the wallpaper, with the rest of the normal icons there. So it looked like they had a rude named folder that they couldn't select in order to delete it.

  • One of first things I do on every new computer is set the background to pure black.

    I don't need some random crap cluttering up the screen.

    All versions of Windows: black
    MBP: black
    When I used twm 30+ years ago and the default X10/X11 background was a mesh grey: black

  • The "ugly sweater" trend jumped the shark about 10 years ago. It was funny originally when the person who wore it had no clue and honestly thought it was a cool fashion statement. Now the ugly sweater has become a parody of what it once was. The ugly sweater does do one thing in 2023, it highlights ugly people in society who completely lack any kind of independent thought and follow the crowd like mindless sheep. I think they usually calls themselves "influencers" on social media.

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by bjoast ( 1310293 )
      It's just a joke item, friend.

    • Re: Ugly people (Score:4, Funny)

      by greytree ( 7124971 ) on Tuesday November 28, 2023 @05:20PM (#64039171)
      Christmas used to be such fun when it was just me celebrating my pagan gods on my own in the dark winter woods.

      Then everyone came along and started partying and sharing presents and good cheer, and RUINED IT.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by a5y ( 938871 )

      How awful that other people with their arbitrary and tasteless opinions hold them in great numbers unlike you with your rational opinion of sound taste.

      How awful.

      Awful.

      Can you hear me up their on your high horse? Do I need to rewrite this in all caps?

    • You must be fun at whatever the equivalent of parties is on your drab planet.

  • Who make's 'em? I'm doubting Bill knits them himself. I'm as happy to burn the Evil Empire as anyone else whenever they shit in the internet's drinking fountain but if MS aren't actually picking Nike-level sweatshops then credit is due. Anyone know what country is on the label?

    • That's if it's made of wool at all. for $70 I'd hope so, but these days a lot of this style of sweater ("jumper" for UK/AU people) are just knitted polyester. Yay, microplastics.

  • ... landfill from Microsoft.

    The Windows Vista boxes were terrible, now clothing on top?

    Sorry, we can save computers from ewaste with a Linux install, but this will be going round the charity shops because nobody will wear it. What a terrible waste of energy and material.

  • Should had been a sweater with a bunch clouds that rain a bunch of "365 subcriptions parasites" with a big fat tumor in the middle, named Microsoft.

  • Christ, they could have just put a picture of Bill on the front of a sweater and won the contest for the next century. Ugly on the inside AND the outside.

  • Why is it in current adverts, the ethnically diverse couple is invariably male + female and not the other way round.

    • Ethnically diverse or not, that chick looks either braindead or like she's been huffing glue. Lights on, but nobody home???

    • More importantly (to me): why are the models younger than Windows XP? I'd like to see some real old school MS nerds in the ads.
  • OH YES! It's about time that saccharine view of fields got turned into an Xmas sweater!

  • I can't be the only one who thinks this sweater isn't actually ugly. I'd unironically wear it.... well, unless it got creased, then I'd iron it.

    Sorry.

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