If you're coming from a Windows background, and most people are, you might have some Windows programs that you really want to keep using even when you're using Linux. Windows programs will not run natively on Linux, but you can find a few solutions to run Windows apps under Linux or within a Linux session if you really need to do so.
Wine is one option for running Windows apps under Linux. Wine is an open source implementation of the Windows API for Linux and Unix operating systems. It's a compatibility layer for Windows apps, so that they can run unmodified on top of Linux. Another option is CodeWeavers CrossOver, which is based on Wine, but not entirely open source. CodeWeavers includes features not in Wine to make it easier to set up and run Windows programs under Linux.
Virtualization is another option for running your Windows applications under Linux. Virtualization software like VMware Server and VMware Workstation, Parallels, and Qemu will allow you to run a full instance of Windows under Linux -- so you can run almost any Windows program unmodified on top of Linux, within the Windows environment. (Some applications that require 3D support may not run under virtualization because virtual machines typically do not provide 3D graphics.)
In the long run, however, you might prefer to find a native Linux program as a substitute for your Windows applications. The next section will discuss how to find software for Linux, and how to install it.
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