February 2026

Moving away from Windows OS has been on the cards for a while now. Microsoft are a prominent fixture on the BDS consumer boycott list, for one. They’re also major players in the ongoing insane genAI / data centre arms race, that joyous economic bubble and source of negative ecological impact at precisely the historic juncture where human civilisation needs it least. Even from a base consumer perspective, they’ve been blasting themselves in the foot with both barrels for some time, between the strategic decisions with their Xbox gaming division and their closure of beloved, sometimes only recently acquired, games studios (they are not the worst offenders in the M&A insanities of the past decade in the games industry, though this is a low bar).

There’s also the small issue that my PC, which has been happily running Windows 10 for some years, does not and cannot support Windows 11. Another of Microsoft’s strategic decisions has been to cut support for Windows 10 earlier than they have for any other OS with its market share. Thanks, dickheads. And it’s not as if I was keen on Win11 anyway, as it looks like a bloated, AI-infested, data-harvesting, always-online, MS-account-centred cesspit.

This flash fiction story was originally published on Nostalgia For Infinity in April 2008.

So it’s the two year anniversary since mum left us and I guess that means I should write about some of this stuff before I forget details. Actually I think I already have forgotten some because I didn’t write any of them down back then. There’s just all these blank pages and on one page there are what I think are stains from tears, so I guess I was too upset to write this one time but that’s weird because I don’t remember it. But I don’t think it was Robert because there’s a lock on this diary and I always keep the key with me. Anyway.

A few years ago my mum left me and my little brother on our own with daddy. It was scary at first and especially Robert cried a lot because he missed mum. But I was okay I think because I was older and maybe I kind of understood what was happening like Robert didn’t.

I remember dad used to shout at mum sometimes and sometimes I would hear things break. It would happen after dinner usually when I was in my room doing homework or drawing and Robert had gone to bed or was playing on the computer or sometimes when we were watching TV. Robert likes cartoons and they are kind of childish but sometimes they’re fun. The old Road Runner ones are best. Robert liked the coyote. Actually I think he liked the things he built to try and catch Road Runner. They were always so silly.

Guess I’m a Linux guy now

My Mother The Robot