Obviously, none of these images are particularly ugly: Mac OS X looks attractive in a sort-of celestial way, and Windows Vista looks clean and modern. Ubuntu, which has received plenty of criticism for its lack of style, has a certain minimalist charm about it. Even if some people would suggest that it looks like Glastonbury after everyone’s left.

Imagine my surprise, then, when I installed the Windows 7 Release Candidate, got rid of the insipid little fish, and browsed to the gallery of default wallpapers that Microsoft has supplied.

The variety is astonishing. One looks like a bizarre, rejected Pokémon, and another is full of Tim Burton-esque dark charm. There’s even one that looks like Terry Pratchett’s Discworld, albeit after the turtle it’s based on had spent the night taking some very interesting substances.

I must admit that, despite its demonic quality – like an army of evil, face-eating Tic Tacs on an unstoppable march to minty glory – the following image is my favourite.

It does beg the question, though: what on earth possessed them to create an image like that?

Answers in the comments below, please – best one wins an Evil Face-Eating Tic Tac Toy. Maybe.

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