It’s a rare thing indeed to hear Linux discussed without some comparison to Windows. That may not be surprising, given Redmond’s effective monopoly in the operating system arena — but is it harming Linux? That was the question being mulled over here in the Linux blogosphere in recent days. “I’ve grown to dislike the idea of comparing Windows and Linux as I feel that it’s a lot like comparing apples to oranges,” wrote Matt Hartley on Datamation, where the conversation began. “Both run software and each of them has its strengths and weaknesses. Trying to trump one over the other is time wasted … .”