Shifts away from Microsoft

 I once looked to Microsoft first for apps and computer services. But various changes pushed me to alternatives. Their abandonment of software forced use of alternatives. Their Office subscription motivated me to fully switch to LibreOffice. The removal of MovieMaker forced me to find an ultimately better video editor, which I stayed with because their new video editor is inferior even to MovieMaker. Inconsistencies with OneDrive motivated me to switch to Google Drive. Internet Explorer issues motivated a browser switch. I never bothered with Edge until it switched to Chromium. Even then, I stayed with Google Chrome and Firefox until it got to where it had enough unique features to bring me back. I almost left Windows for Linux during both the Windows Vista and 8 stages. But I used too many Windows specific devices and apps. So I stayed with Windows through the trying times. I got to like Windows 10 a lot. Now, Windows 11 looks to bring back start menu issues similar to Windows 8. The start menu functionality is quite important to me. I use a wide range of apps. Being able to group those apps like all Windows versions except 8 supported is important to me. If Windows 11 menu functionality is oversimplified as it appears in the screenshot below and no third party or other option for changing the menu isn't available, I may very well switch to a Windows style Linux distro. Hardware is now less of an issue. If all my apps are compatible with or replaceable in Linux, I may finally abandon Windows. I am tired of Windows flopping between good and bad and not adequately accounting for the needs of heavy users. And the menu functionality is very important to heavy users.

A factor which has helped define my perspective on abortion

 I am glad to be alive. That being said, I had some quite rough periods in my life. A large factor was being raised in a household which was ill equipped to deal with raising children. If I were honest, I feel that my mother would have been justified if she decided to have an abortion. But that was not an option due to legality and religion. She was barely even involved with the details of my rearing. So a lot went wrong. I do not advocate my own death or for others born under bad circumstances. But my own upbringing has helped define my perspective on abortion.

Another factor is my brother. He has a mental condition which had made his life difficult. I love him and try to make him as comfortable as possible. He is now just capable of living on his own but is not able to support himself. He had spent years in "homes for the mentally handicapped" after my mother abandoned him. As described to me, his cognitive and emotional issues were evident even as a toddler. But nobody endeavored to figure out what was wrong. It was simpler to pass him on and pay him off. As a living being, he has a right to life, kindness, respect and so on. But this has also helped define my perspective on abortion. It has also clued me in that there is insufficient assistance for people who might live more fulfilled lives with a bit more guidance than is given. My brother even admits during his more lucid moments that he wished that people would have guided him in a different direction.