Wine, a Windows Emulator
Wine lets you run Windows software on other operating systems just like you would in Windows. Wine is still under active development. Not all programs work yet, but a lot of volunteers are working on using Wine to run more software. Wine will always be free software. Volunteers write approximately half of Wine's source code. Wine depends on its user community. User tests fill the Application Database.
Diversity is an important aspect of risk management. Yet, the US Department of Justice has "found" that Microsoft Windows is run by more than 95% of personal computers, and this is likely also true in most other countries, not just in the US. Thus governments, companies and home users all over the world depend on a single provider: Microsoft.
The question is not whether Microsoft is evil, or whether it will go out of business, but whether its goals match yours. A company may want to deploy thin clients to simplify administration and save money on per-client Windows licenses. But is Microsoft going to make it viable and undercut its Windows market? Where is the alternative if Microsoft implements its software subscription model? If Microsoft is not interested in catering to your market, then you have to turn to Linux.
