Any other aspies have the urge to keep switching software?

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I have a very odd addiction: I get tired of the software I use, and have to keep switching to alternatives. I used to think it had to do with the problems found on all of them, but recently, I found myself perfectly happy running a Windows system. Then, I had an urge to switch back to Linux and KDE3 again. While on Windows, I must have gone back and forth between Internet Explorer and Firefox once a week at the very least, and I considered throwing Opera in there too.

These urges are accompanied by a tendency to develop a bias towards to particular software I'm using. In the past, this caused a lot of embarrassment, as I'd try and convert people to the software I was using, then have to explain to them afterwards why I wasn't using it anymore. Nowadays, I've learned to recognize and ignore such tendencies, but it's still a problem sometimes. I was ranting about how much Linux sucked after I helped a friend that asked me install WUBI and had nothing but problems. Then, 2 months later, I find myself installing WUBI.

The main problem with this is that every time I switch software, I lose all my data. It's rare for there to be a decent import/export method, and it's already complicated enough with trying to synchronize my laptop and desktop. I've lost important emails in the process of switching email clients because they arrived during the switch. I've bought software designed to work well on one OS, then switched OSs a month later. I've bought expensive software to satisfy a binge, then went back to the free stuff I was using before. I need help.

Anyone else have a similar problem? Is it an aspie thing? Is there anything I can do about it?

One machine running (OS of choice) ... install VMWare or some sort of Hypervisor ... install as many OS's as you want inside the Hypervisor

This way, no data is lost; you can have MacOS, Windows, Solaris and a bunch of Linux distros running concurrently (no need to boot them all) and in different windows so you can switch multiple times a day

Thanks, but I've tried using VMWare as a solution before. It actually made it worse, because each combo of OSs became a new choice, not to mention the brand of VM software. VMWare helped with synchronization a bit, in terms of keeping the same My Documents folder, but I still had trouble with the program data, like email, favorites, messenger history, etc. The worst part is saving word processing documents in different formats. I tried to keep a journal, that wasn't going to happen unless I could agree on a format to write with.

Nope. I hate change. I use Windows (98 on several machines) with Firefox and Pegasus for email. Except for updates, I've used those same programs since 1998. Some newer machines have XP.

On rare occasions, I have to run IE because Firefox doesn't work right. Also, Firefox is a CPU hog and IE is a Virus magnet.

Pick something at random (well, not entirely at random, but at least that works reasonably well) and force yourself to use only that for a year.

I do that quite often. Mainly with Office Software, Browsers, Antivirus Software, OS'es, Ect.

I do i keep switching back and forth to xp and linux. But i am with linux until i buy a new pc/laptop maybe i will stay with linux forever. To slove the xp problem i return it back to microsoft and i think the refund is coming in a couple weeks. Still think about vista right now

I did this with my IM client for a while. Pidgin was playing up on me, so I went back and forth between Pidgin, Digsby and Windows Live Messenger for about 2 months. The issue I was having with Pidgin was resolved, and I'm now happily back on Pidgin.