Wanted to write something very short and sweet, just to be able to say that I’ve managed to write something from beginning to end! My writing skills are very rusty…

Here’s a short story I’d call a proof of concept. I’m a person that forms close personal attachments to certain inanimate objects, especially electronic devices. I thought, what sort of thing could bring someone and their computer closer together? Installing a new operating system is probably something of a big change, especially for a computer…
I hope the technobabble isn’t too unbearable, haha >_<




free now


Today’s the day. I’ve got everything prepared: The pendrive with the OS image, an external drive for the backup, some spare time, and the resolve to get rid of a pest. I had all of these ready for a long time, but my situation didn’t allow for going through with this until now.
Today I get rid of all the spyware I was forced to subject my poor computer to.
I sit down at my desk, and log into Microsoft Windows 10 (Home Edition) for the very last time.
Immediately after the boot up, the fan turns on loudly.
“Don’t worry, soon everything’s going to be a little better. I just need to back up my stuff.”
I give the monitor a friendly pat.
I start the process of copying everything to the external drive. I can hear my PC’s drive and the connected one working. The sound is slightly distressing to hear, even though I know nothing bad is happening.
With a whine, my computer completes the file transfer.
“Alright, now you need to reboot.”
I turn the device off with the power button, with a satisfying click. I wait for the hum to die down, put in the pendrive, and turn it back on.
I hold my hand on the central unit, and I feel the computer start up.


  CHOOSE BOOT DEVICE

  1 - HARD DRIVE

  2 - USB DISK

With the keyboard, I select the second option.
My PC starts to load up the disk image on the storage device. Soon a menu shows up, allowing me to start the installation of the new operating system.
I can feel a sort of anticipation in the air. I’m sure the machine is as excited as I am, this is a big change in its software after all. We both had to deal with the pains of a propertiary operating system for so long. We both were fed up with the lack of control, the shadiness.
I know there may be certain things I’ll miss, but they won’t be completely blocked off after this. I could still run a virtual machine with the old system, or use a compatibility layer, or something else…
Let’s just do it already. We’ve been waiting for this. We know what we’re doing. I’ve wanted this, just like you. I’ll be able to realise more of my potential, and help you better after we do this.
“Okay.”



…



“It’s started. I’ll see you in a few. I’m going to take a nap while you do this.”
I gently hug the central unit. It’s warm, already busy with the installation process.
“I’ll leave you to it.”
I lay down on the bed across the room, the machine’s hum lulling me into a light sleep.
I awoke an hour later, and went to the kitchen to grab a bite to eat. When I came back to my desk, I was greeted with the new system’s lockscreen.
I couldn’t help but feel giddy at all the new possibilities that just opened up. I have tried this system prior to the install, but trying isn’t the same as using… There’s so much to explore and learn.
And I can’t wait to do it all with my friend. To help it discover all the new things it can do, all the new software…
Come on, let’s try out all this cool stuff! Ooh, look, there’s so many customization options…



We spent the rest of the evening twiddling and tweaking the new system.
Upon discovering that we could now easily schedule tasks, my computer insisted I add something to crontab: a command that would run every day at the time I usually I am done with work.
espeak "Goodnight, see you tomorrow."



I left the computer on that night. As I went to sleep, I felt all fuzzy and nice, still excited by the change in digital environment. I like to think my computer also felt that way, humming quietly in the dark room.