For decades, the Blue Screen of Death, or BSOD to its friends, has instilled a mix of panic, dread, exasperation, and rage across countless Windows users. And where did the Blue Screen of Death come from in the first place? Out of the Blue: Before the BSODTo be clear, there was no grand plan behind the Blue Screen of Death. At most, this was Blue Screen of Mild Dilemma territory. A Blue Screen of Potentially Delayed Death, then.